Brain tumour survivors took to the streets of Fredericton on Saturday to raise money and awareness for brain tumour research.
Event chairperson, Dave d'Entremont was diagnosed 15 years ago.
“I’m a survivor myself, so after my recovery was quite successfulI want to help those who were affected,” he said.
According to the Brain Tumour Foundation of Canada, 27 Canadians are diagnosed with a brain tumour every day.
Benoit Poudrier was diagnosed three years ago and has gone through half a dozen brain surgeries, meningitis, and blood clots in his legs due to hospital stays.
He says speaking about his diagnosis is important.
“When you get your diagnosis, there is hope,” said Poudrier. “We have a lot of people who kind of share a common history – we're all survivors, we all have experiences we can share.”
There are over 120 different types of brain tumours. The sheer number, and the fact there are gaps of information, can make treatment difficult.
“Just sharing my story with others and telling what I’ve bene through, hopefully that will get more information out there if someone suffers from the same type of tumour, or is dealing with the same kind of medications I'm on,” said Poudrier.
The Tragically Hip's announcement this week that lead singer Gord Downie has a terminal brain tumour has hit many hard. But Downie’s willingness to go public is already helping.
“The fact that The Tragically Hip has been open with Gord's diagnosis really does create that awareness within the brain tumour community,” said Janic Gorayeb of the Brain Tumour Foundation of Canada. “It’s really going to help people learn more about the brain tumour community here within Canada and just support each other.”
“Knowledge is power, and the more you know, the more you can help other people, help yourself, and find a cure for this disease,” said d'Entremont.
With files from CTV Atlantic’s Nick Moore.
