brainstrust

✨ Here’s what’s happening in May at brainstrust ✨ This May, we’re offering a range of opportunities to get involved, find support, and connect with people who understand. From friendly online groups and creative spaces to hypnotherapy sessions and research discussions, there’s something for everyone affected by a brain tumour. Whether you’re living with a diagnosis, caring for someone who is, or want to help shape the future of brain tumour research, you’ll find a space where you can feel understood and supported. Visit the link in our comment to sign up for events and find out more.

Listen to Naomi's brain tumour story and how brainstrust's coaching changed her life. If you need support, click on comments. #BrainTumourAwareness

Today is the International Day of Families. A brain tumour diagnosis doesn’t just affect one person, it often brings change for partners, parents, children, and friends too. Relationships can shift, roles can change, and everyone may be adjusting in their own way, at their own pace. There’s no single way to navigate that, and no right way to feel. Families can need support just as often as those who are diagnosed with a brain tumour. For some, family becomes an important source of support, in big ways or small, visible or unseen. For others, support may come from elsewhere or look different over time. If you’re a family member or loved one and feel as if you need support, brainstrust are here for you. You can send us an email at [email protected] or call our 24/7 helpline on 01983 292 405. Resources such as ‘How to have Conversations That Count’ are also available to help families navigate conversations that can sometimes feel difficult to start. If it feels comfortable, you’re welcome to share how your support network has helped you through your journey in the comments below. #InternationalDayOfFamilies

We know being diagnosed with a brain tumour can make life feel uncertain. Less secure, more fragile and harder to predict. Join us next Thursday, May 21st from 10am-11am for our Living with Uncertainty Webinar. Hosted by our brainstrust support specialists, this webinar explores why we feel uncertain, how it impacts our lives, and gives you strategies that help you to be comfortable living with uncertainty. A diagnosis doesn’t mean you can’t still lead a fulfilling life, one where you are at peace with uncertainty and can focus on what is important to you. Please click the link in the comments if you are interested:

It’s Mental Health Awareness Week, and this year’s theme is Take Action. For people living with a brain tumour, or supporting someone who is, mental health can be affected in many ways. Anxiety, low mood, anger, numbness, exhaustion or uncertainty can come and go, often alongside treatment and care. Taking action doesn’t have to mean big steps or decisions. Sometimes it’s as small as letting someone listen, asking a question or allowing yourself to pause and process. If action, today, looks like finding support or simply knowing what is available to you, brainstrust is here. You can send us an email at [email protected] or call our 24/7 helpline on 01983 292 405. You don’t have to go through this alone. We've linked some of our resources and tools in the comments below. #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek #MHAW2026 #TakeAction

We’d like to say a huge thank you to Birds Bakery (@birds_bakery ) for choosing us as their Charity of the Year. It has been an absolute pleasure working with everyone involved, and we are incredibly grateful for all of your support throughout the partnership. Thanks to your amazing fundraising efforts, an incredible £64,427 was raised over the year, making a truly significant difference to the support and services we are able to provide. Thank you so much for your generosity, dedication, and continued support 🩶

Looking for a space with people who really understand what life with a brain tumour can bring? Many people tell us the brainstrust support community on facebook is one of the first places they felt less alone. This is a private, moderated space for patients, caregivers and loved ones to share their thoughts, feelings and news. In good times or bad, this supportive community is here for you. If you’d like to join, please follow the link in the comments below:

A brain tumour diagnosis is overwhelming and trusted information that makes a difference is hard to come by, that’s why here at brainstrust we have a variety of free resources for patients and caregivers to access both physically and online as a PDF. From practical information and guides, to materials designed to help make sense of a brain tumour diagnosis at your own pace, these resources are there to be picked up, read through, and returned to whenever you need them. Support doesn’t always have to start with a conversation. Healthcare professionals, patients and caregivers can get a hold of this accredited information by following the link in the comments. Has one of our resources helped you in your journey? If so, let us know which one!

At brainstrust, we are asked by the people we support when it’s appropriate to look at legal claims relating to medical treatment, if you or a loved one has been affected by a brain tumour, you may find yourself wondering if medical care could, or should, have been different. On Wednesday the 13th of May from 11am-12pm, Bolt Burdon Kemp solicitors is leading a free webinar unpacking what it really means to bring a legal claim for compensation following medical treatment. It’s designed for anyone who feels unsure, conflicted or simply curious about whether speaking to a solicitor about their standard of care is the right move. This session will explain, in clear language, when claims can arise and what the outcome can look like. This can include support with things like loss of earnings, care costs, childcare, or equipment to help improve quality of life. If this feels relevant to you, please check the link in the comments below for more details.

Last weekend, the "JD Twitch Stage" was named in memory of Keith McIvor at the Queen’s Park Spring Weekender, where merchandise was sold to honour his life and work. Keith, known to many as JD Twitch, was a hugely respected and much loved DJ who sadly passed away late last year after he was diagnosed with an untreatable brain tumour. Half of the proceeds from merchandise sales are being donated to brainstrust, with the remainder supporting the Prince & Princess of Wales Hospice, who supported Keith towards the end of his life. brainstrust are deeply grateful to Keith’s wife, Marissa, and to everyone involved for their generosity and thoughtfulness. It’s humbling to see how music, memory, and community continue to come together to support others, especially in these circumstances.

We’re celebrating 20 years of brainstrust this May, and we’d love you to join us. Thursday 28 May 2026 National Space Centre. Leicester This special anniversary dinner will bring together our community to reflect, celebrate, and look ahead. If you’d like to: ✔ Have a great evening ✔ Hear inspirational stories ✔ Be part of our future Contact: [email protected] or click on link in comments for more details.

We’re turning 20! 🎉 Join us at the National Space Centre, Leicester to mark 20 years of supporting the brain tumour community. 28 May 2026 Stories. Speakers. Community. Be part of it and book your seats now Email [email protected] to book or click on link in comments for more details.