May is Brain Tumor Awareness Month, a month dedicated to giving a voice to the brain tumor community and raising awareness for a cure. As the largest patient advocacy funder of pediatric brain tumor research and leading champion for families and survivors battling this disease, the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation is marking this year’s Brain Tumor Awareness Month by shining a light on the impact that brain cancer has on tens of thousands of children, teens, and survivors across the country.

Unlike other forms of cancer, which have relatively higher survival rates thanks to the medical advancements of the last century, current treatment approaches are not effective on most types of pediatric brain tumors. Brain tumors represent the no. 1 cause of cancer deaths among children, and survivors are left with lifelong side effects because of treatments’ impact on their brain development. Additionally, because the patient population is small, large-scale investments to improve pediatric brain tumor patients’ survival rates and quality of life often take the backseat to other cancer types and diseases.

Children with brain tumors are more than just statistics. Each child has a name, a story, and a future worth fighting for. “When you’re in that moment of crisis, you don’t know where to turn,” shared one mother in a recent PBTF spotlight. “The Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation was there from day one, providing us with the resources we didn’t even know we needed.” We urge the public to join us in writing the next chapter of hope and healing for every child battling brain cancer.

PBTF is committed to helping all pediatric brain tumor patients, families, and survivors realize their full potential by:

• Funding pioneering scientific and public health research: PBTF’s leadership has transformed the pediatric brain tumor landscape, resulting in an improved understanding of the more than 100 types of brain tumors, new therapies and technologies, and multi-million-dollar grants that multiply our impact and lead to more clinical trials.
• Providing families with expert information from the moment symptoms start: No parent is prepared to hear their child has a brain tumor. PBTF is the preferred first point of contact for newly diagnosed families offering essential information informed by leading experts in the field and patient families’ experiences.  As one parent noted, “They aren’t just a charity; they are a partner in our child’s care. They helped us understand the roadmap of what was coming next when everything felt like a blur.”
• Addressing disparities of care within the pediatric brain tumor population: Tragically, racial, social, and economic disparities result in many children with brain tumors not having access to the healthcare they need. The financial costs of treatment frequently worsen existing inequities. PBTF collaborates with caregivers and healthcare partners to tackle barriers like financial insecurity, language, geography, race, and ethnicity—improving children’s survival rates and enhancing families’ quality of life through dedicated programs and resources.
• Connecting survivors to effective follow-up care: Pediatric brain tumor survivors face a variety of physical, cognitive, and social challenges that increase and worsen over time. When a survivor reaches adulthood, resources that patients and families depend on frequently disappear, and many are lost to follow-up care entirely. PBTF equips survivors and family members with tools to navigate the effects of pediatric brain tumor treatment, including relationships with loved ones, challenges in school or work, and long-term care. “PBTF connected us with other families who truly understand what it’s like to walk in these shoes,” says a PBTF mother. “That partnership makes you feel like you aren’t fighting this battle alone.”

Curing pediatric brain tumors is a mission PBTF can’t tackle alone. We are incredibly grateful to the many organizations, community partners, and dedicated supporters who stand alongside us this May. Their commitment allows us to reach more families in need, amplify the voices of survivors, and spread vital awareness to ensure no child has to face this journey alone.

About the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation

Every day, 15 children and teens are diagnosed with a brain tumor, the deadliest childhood cancer. Every day after, they’re in a fight for their life. It’s a fight the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation is here to help families win. A leader in the brain tumor and childhood cancer communities, PBTF’s mission of Care. Cure. Thrive. reflects our commitment to curing all pediatric brain tumors and transforming how children and their families are cared for. Since 1991 and for 35 years, PBTF has provided strategic leadership and funding to accelerate the number of targeted therapies for children battling brain tumors today, while equipping families with the patient-family education, financial relief, and emotional support they need to navigate their child’s journey. A world without childhood brain tumors is possible when we work together to put kids first.