Parker Shares His Reaction to Brain Cancer Diagnosis
- British singer Tom Parker, 32, is battling brain cancer and opened up about how he felt after his diagnosis earlier this year; “I was living in such a haze,” he said.
- Brain cancer is a challenging diagnosis; treatment options for this disease include chemotherapy, radiation therapy, surgery, and the use of electrical fields.
- Parker thanked people for their love and support through his cancer journey; having a strong support network while battling cancer is helpful.
View this post on InstagramRead MoreRelated: Singer Tom Parker, 32, Shares Heartwarming Family Photo Showing Effects of Treatment Amid Brain Cancer BattleIn a vulnerable post on Instagram, the Bolton-born rocker writes: “I don't really remember them earlier days of when I was told. I was living in such a haze. But I've come a long way even in such a short space of time.” Parker said that he’ll keep us all updated, too, writing, “…I promise to keep you updated with how things are progressing over the next few months. And here's hoping for a fantastic 2021”
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Treating Brain Cancer
While there has finally been some progress in treatment for brain cancer, the diagnosis remains extremely challenging. Treatment options for brain cancer include surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy.
Parker has shared that he is treating his brain cancer with chemotherapy and radiation treatments in an attempt to shrink the size of his brain tumor. In a touching family photo he shared, Parker is seen with a shaved head, which may be a result of his chemotherapy, as hair loss is a side-effect of chemo treatments. Other chemotherapy side-effects include nausea, fatigue, and nerve pain.
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New Treatment Option: Tumor-Treating Fields
Treatment for brain cancer has seen tremendous developments in the past two decades, thanks to the use of electrical fields.
Dr. Suriya Jeyapalan, a neuro-oncologist at Tufts Medical Center, spoke in a previous interview about the new treatment options for brain cancer. “There’s been the very exciting development of tumor treating fields, which are electrical fields that have been applied to the brain. They’re basically these adhesive pads, front and back, right and left. They’re connected to a device that now weighs about 2 and 1/2 pounds”
“And it generates this alternating electric current that has been shown in a major randomized controlled trial again, an international trial with about 700 patients to add on another 50% of survival at two years,” said Dr. Jeyapalan. “It was an amazing thing in that we’re now getting almost about 50% of the patients surviving two years and now about a third of the patients surviving five years.”
“And I just want to emphasize to patients that when I first started doing this in 1999, there were maybe less than 5% of patients with this disease that were alive two years. And now we’re getting out to maybe a third of patients alive at five years,” she said.
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Seeking Support During the Cancer Journey
As Parker continues his brain cancer battle, he’s said how the support of others means so much to him. Parker wrote, “Thank you all for your love and support over the last few months. And again thank you to our friends and family who have really come together and helped wherever needed with the kids and helping with the house.”
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In a previous interview, Beverly Reeves spoke to how her support network helped her following her ovarian cancer diagnosis. Reeves said, “If I had one piece of advice for someone who had just been diagnosed with ovarian cancer, it would be to get a strong support group together. Get your close friends.”
“If you’re connected to a faith community, get your faith community,” suggested Reeves. “Get your family. Let them know what’s going on and let them help you. And sometimes that’s the most difficult thing to do, but just know that they are there. If they love you, they’re there to help you. And don’t be embarrassed. Because this is a cancer that not a lot of people want to talk about.”
'Faith, Family, and Friends' Helped Beverly Reeves Get Through Ovarian Cancer Treatment
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