5/20/2008
Brain tumor organizations send best wishes to Senator Kennedy
STATEMENT DATED: May 20, 2008
Brain tumor organizations send best wishes to Senator Kennedy
The Senator has been a longtime supporter of healthcare issues
May 20, 2008 – The Brain Tumor Society (Watertown, MA) and the National Brain Tumor Foundation (San Francisco, CA) are saddened by the news that Senator Ted Kennedy has been diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor. As leading patient advocacy groups serving the brain tumor community, BTS and NBTF have a special appreciation for Sen. Kennedy’s commitment to healthcare issues.
Sen. Kennedy is a long-time supporter of healthcare legislation and funding initiatives around cancer issues. He has also been a supporter of the brain tumor community. Notably, Sen. Kennedy was a keynote speaker at a legislative luncheon during the inaugural Brain Tumor Awareness Week in Washington DC in 1997. Brain Tumor Society founder G. Bonnie Feldman recalled that Sen. Kennedy’s staff made themselves available to the brain tumor community during the earliest advocacy efforts of the North American Brain Tumor Coalition.
This spring, as Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, Sen. Kennedy announced his intention to introduce legislation encouraging a comprehensive approach to cancer research. Hearings began earlier this month on Capitol Hill.
As national organizations with connections to leading treatment centers across the United States, BTS and NBTF take comfort in knowing that Sen. Kennedy’s treatment team at Massachusetts General Hospital is indeed among the best in the nation.
On behalf of the brain tumor community, the Brain Tumor Society and the National Brain Tumor Foundation wish Sen. Kennedy and his family the best during this challenging time.
Contact: Brain Tumor Society at 617.924.9997
Contact: National Brain Tumor Foundation at 415.834.9970 info@braintumor.org
About Brain Tumors
Each year, more than 40,000 individuals are diagnosed with a primary brain tumor.
• There are more than 120 types of brain tumors. Gliomas account for nearly 80% of malignant brain tumors.
• Specialized approaches to radiation and chemotherapy have been essential in the improved treatment of patients with brain tumors.
• Any brain tumor is a frightening diagnosis for a new patient and family members. Because of their location in the brain – the center of physical, mental and emotional functioning – brain tumors pose unique challenges.
About the Brain Tumor Society and National Brain Tumor Foundation
In April 2008, the Brain Tumor Society (www.tbts.org) and National Brain Tumor Foundation (www.braintumor.org) agreed to merge. BTS and NBTF will join forces to form the largest organization that funds innovative brain tumor research and provides support services to patients and families.
Download this press release.
Read more information about glioma tumors.
