Ivy Blog

As a neurosurgical oncologist at Barrow Neurological Institute, Dr. Kris Smith was determined to improve the outcome for brain tumor patients. But when his father was diagnosed with glioblastoma, the battle against brain cancer became all the more personal.

Dr. Nader Sanai is an internationally recognized neurosurgical oncologist, but his experience with brain cancer doesn't date back to the start of his career. It began at a young age when his Aunt Zhilla was diagnosed with glioblastoma. Years later, Dr. Sanai found himself inspired to follow a similar path of the neurosurgeon who cared for his aunt.

In honor of Brain Tumor Awareness Month, Cindy Westphal, wife of basketball Hall of Famer, Paul Westphal, recalls her husband's journey with glioblastoma and asks for your support of the Ivy Brain Tumor Center's mission to contribute to a cure for brain cancer within this decade.

“GBM is a disease that is very, very aggressive and very difficult for patients and their families to deal with,...

World-renowned neurosurgeon, Dr. Robert F. Spetzler, recalls his sister-in-law's diagnosis with glioblastoma and the personal connections that guided him through his career.

For Terra, a research nurse at the Ivy Center, brain cancer became all too personal after learning that her brother-in-law was diagnosed with glioblastoma.

It was in the middle of his residency at Barrow Neurological Institute when Dr. Zaman Mirzadeh found out that his mother was diagnosed with glioblastoma. Looking back now, Dr. Mirzadeh recalls the pain from that experience and the invaluable life lesson his mother left him with which he continues to apply to his work at Barrow and the Ivy Center.

For Barrow Neurological Institute President and CEO, Michael T. Lawton, MD, his work in the neurological field became deeply personal 13 years ago.

Twelve years after her diagnosis, Dr. Kelly Braun, a neuro-oncologist at the Ivy Brain Tumor Center, shares her personal story of overcoming a meningioma and how it has impacted her life and inspired her career.