Bachelor Nation’s Serene Russell’s Mom Suffered Weakness, Confusion, & Headaches. It Turned Out To Be A ‘Golf Ball-Sized’ Brain Tumor

“On Sunday, Mother’s Day, I saw my mom and immediately became concerned with her condition during brunch. I took her to the ER, everything came back clear and she was given fluids and sent home. She kept complaining about not feeling better so I talked her into going back while I was at work,” Russell explained, according to Bachelor Nation, which shared screenshots of her post.

She continued, “She was diagnosed with a golf ball sized brain tumor and last night, diagnosed with stage 3-4 brain cancer.

“I am still in shock, as this has all happened in three days and she had been hiding her pain [and] has been experiencing disorientation. It is fast growing and she had only experienced symptoms for a week.”

Alongside a photo of her beautiful mom and her younger siblings, 15-year-old fraternal twins, she reportedly explained, “The first step is surgery on Tuesday and her insurance does not cover it.

“We are facing many obstacles but this is my mom and I know she is strong enough to beat it. My little brother and sister are 15 and still depend on her. We all do.”

Russell also used her post to promote a GoFundMe that has been set up for her mom, which has since raised more than $15,000, to assist with the high cost of medical bills and insurance she must pay.

The GoFundMe reads, “Sherri is a very strong, independent woman and is not one to ask for handouts. I am asking for any donations we can get to help relieve the financial burden she is about to endure.

“Sherri is the mother to five wonderful children and she has been recently diagnosed with brain cancer. This was very unexpected to her, her children and other family members.”

It was explained how Sherri suffered weakness, headaches, and confusion on May 13, 2024, which led her to go to the emergency room.

After testing and scans, a golf ball-sized brain tumor was discovered. The GoFundMe explains further, ” It is currently pushing her brain to the left and is causing swelling. She has been transferred to a more equipped hospital that has a neurologist there. The neurologist did more scans and has told us this is looking like stage 3 or 4 brain cancer.”

Sherri’s surgery was set for May 20, to have the tumor removed and biopsied, to allow doctors to decided what her treatment plan will be.

Her GoFundMe stated, “It [Sherri’s treatment] will either be radiation or chemotherapy. We are praying for a smooth surgery and recovery. This will be a long journey for Sherri and her family. Her two 15 year old twins still live at home with her.

“We just found out this surgeon does not take her insurance, so this will all be out of pocket. I’m asking for any donations so we can keep her bills at home paid and the expected medical bills she will be stuck with. We appreciate any help we can get and prayers are much needed in this time.”

All About Brain Tumors

Brain tumors account for 85-90% of all primary central nervous system (CNS) tumors, according to the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). In 2025, the ASCO estimated that 24,820 adults (14,040 men and 10,780 women) in the United States would be diagnosed with primary cancerous tumors of the brain and spinal cord.

The central nervous system consists of the brain and spinal cord and acts as the main “processing center” for the body’s nervous system. The normal function of the brain and spinal cord can become difficult if there’s a tumor putting pressure on or spreading into normal tissue close by.

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There are many different types of brain and spinal cord tumors and some of which are more likely to spread into nearby parts of the brain or spinal cord than others. Slow-growing tumors may be considered benign, however, even these types of tumors can lead to serious problems.

Meanwhile, symptoms of brain tumors, as a whole, are usually caused by increased pressure in the skull. This pressure can stem from tumor growth, swelling in the brain, or blockage of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), the American Cancer Society explains.

General symptoms may include:

• Headache
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Blurred vision
• Balance problems
• Personality or behavior changes
• Seizures
• Drowsiness or even coma

Additionally, MD Anderson Cancer Center notes that changes in the ability to smell can also be a sign of brain tumors, and, more specifically, “strange smells” can be a symptom of seizures, which can result from brain tumors.

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It’s important to note that these symptoms are not exclusive to brain tumors. Still, you should always speak with your doctor if you’re experiencing any health problems.

Meanwhile, treatment options for brain cancer depend on a variety of factors, including the size and type of the tumor as well as the grade of the tumor.

Surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy are options doctors use to treat brain tumors. Cancer warriors are encouraged to talk to their doctor about their situation and the best treatment options.

Understanding Gliomas

There are various types of brain cancers and tumors that someone may be diagnosed with, so it’s important to understand that a glioma is a tumor originating in the central nervous system (CNS), specifically in the brain or spinal cord. A glioma originates in glial cells. Glial cells are supportive cells in the brain that protect and maintain the neurons. These types of tumors can either be benign (non-cancerous) or malignant (cancerous).

“Glioma is a broad term that refers to a whole range of different types of primary brain tumors,” Dr. Alexandra Miller, Director of the Neuro-Oncologist Division at NYU Langone Health, tells SurvivorNet.

“They’re tumors that originate in the brain and very rarely spread outside the brain to other parts of the body,” Dr. Miller continued.

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most aggressive and lethal form of primary brain tumor. Classified as a Grade 4 glioma by the World Health Organization (WHO), glioblastoma presents significant challenges for treatment due to its highly invasive nature, rapid growth, and resistance to most conventional therapies.

WATCH: Understanding Gliomas

According to the National Cancer Institute, the average survival rate is 15 months with treatment and less than six if left untreated. While there is a five-year survival rate of averaging 6 percent, those individuals will never be cancer-free. They must continue receiving radiation and chemotherapy for the rest of their lives.

Clinical trials help doctors better understand cancer and discover more effective treatment methods. They also allow patients to try a treatment before it’s approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which can potentially be life-changing.

WATCH: Clinical Trials can be Life-Saving

Within the U.S., all new drugs must go through clinical trials before the FDA approves them. Although the rewards of clinical trials can be great, they also come with risks. Talking to your doctor about this before enrolling in a trial is important.

Glioblastoma Risk Factors and Symptoms

Glioblastoma risk factors can include:

• Prior radiation exposure
• Gender: men are more likely to get glioblastoma than women
• Age: people 50 years or older
• Certain genetic syndromes, including neurofibromatosis, tuberous sclerosis, von Hippel-Lindau disease

Common symptoms of glioblastoma can include:

• Headaches
• Seizures
• Changes in mental function, mood, or personality
• Changes in speech
• Sensory changes in hearing, smell, and sight
• Loss of balance
• Changes in your pulse and breathing rate

Treatment Options for Gliomas

“The first step is always the neurosurgery. How much can you take out? Is it safe to do surgery? Do you have to rely on a biopsy? Can you even do a biopsy?” Dr. Henry Friedman, Deputy Director of the Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center at Duke, tells SurvivorNet.

WATCH: Glioma Treatment Options

The main treatment options are:

• Observation—Some benign, small, and without symptoms of gliomas or tumors located in inoperable locations can be recommended for observation.
• Surgery is often the first-line treatment for gliomas, with the goal of achieving maximal safe resection, where the largest amount of tumor is removed without causing significant neurologic deficits. For low-grade gliomas, surgery alone can sometimes be curative.

After surgery, pathologists examine the tumor tissue to understand its features and molecular makeup. This added step helps doctors outline an appropriate treatment.

“We go through a very elaborate process of diagnostics, which includes looking at it under the microscope through our pathology team,” Dr. Friedman explained to SurvivorNet.

WATCH: The Role of Surgery in Treating Gliomas

Radiation and chemotherapy are often needed after surgery because removing the tumor completely is usually not possible due to the tumor’s ability to spread into surrounding brain tissue.

• Radiation therapy uses high–energy X–rays to target and kill tumor cells. It is often used after surgery to target residual tumor cells.
• Chemotherapy – These medications kill or slow the growth of cancer cells. Chemotherapy can be used alongside radiation or following radiation and is often used in higher-grade tumors.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved some drug treatments, including temozolomide (Temodar), to help patients with this aggressive disease. Temozolomide is a chemotherapy drug patients can take after surgery and radiation therapy.

• Targeted therapy and immunotherapy are newer treatments designed to target specific genetic mutations in the tumor or to stimulate the immune system to fight the cancer. Their role in the treatment of gliomas is continuing to evolve.

Other FDA-approved drugs for treating glioblastoma include lomustine (Gleostine), intravenous carmustine (Bicnu), carmustine wafer implants, and Avastin (bevacizumab).

Avastin is a targeted drug therapy that blocks glioblastoma cells from requesting new blood vessels that feed and allow the tumor to grow.

The FDA approved Vorasidenib, an IDH inhibitor. It works by blocking the mutated enzyme, slowing tumor growth, and extending the time before disease progression. IDH mutant gliomas tend to grow more slowly and have a better prognosis than IDH wild-type gliomas.

Dr. Alexandra Miller, Director of the Neuro-Oncology Division at NYU Langone Health, tells SurvivorNet that Vorasidenib is a “huge breakthrough for people with IDH mutant tumors.”

WATCH: Vorasidenib for IDH Mutant Gliomas

“What I tell my patients is that we have these effective treatments, but what they do is they delay the time to when this tumor comes back. Only in exceptional circumstances would we ever talk about getting rid of one of these cancers a few,” Dr. Daniel Wahl, professor of radiation and oncology at the University of Michigan, tells SurvivorNet.

Ongoing Research Offers Hope

Fortunately, research is ongoing to improve the prognosis for people battling glioblastoma. One area of promise is tumor-treating fields, which can help extend patients’ lives by two years on average, giving them hope.

Optune, the brand name for the tumor-treating field delivery device, was launched in 2011 and approved by the FDA in 2015. It is a wearable and portable device for glioblastoma treatment for adult patients aged 22 years or older.

“There’s been a very exciting development of tumor treating fields, which are electrical fields that have been applied to the brain,” Dr. Suriya Jeyapalan, a neurologist at Tufts Medical Center, previously told Survivor Net.

TTFields use low-intensity electric fields to disrupt the cell division process, making it harder for cancerous cells to multiply.

WATCH: Using electric sources to improve glioblastoma treatment.

Despite Optune’s hope, not all cancer experts agree with its approach, including Dr. Friedman.

“Although the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) recognizes Optune within its guidelines as a therapy for glioblastoma, many people don’t believe it adds value. At Duke, for example, we don’t consider it a mainstay of therapy,” Dr. Friedman said.

Coping With a Loved One’s Cancer Diagnosis: Prioritizing Your Mental Health

When a loved one is diagnosed with cancer and you suddenly find yourself filling the role of a caregiver, the lifestyle change can be jarring. Caregivers are often spouses, partners, adult children, parents, or trusted friends of the person living with cancer. Although it’s unclear what exact stage or type of brain cancer Serene Russell’s mom has or whether she’s in need of a caregiver, it’s important to remember that many people welcome the role of caregiver and the opportunity to help out someone they care about deeply, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy.

Filling a caregiver role can be extremely stressful and caregivers often neglect their own needs, which can create a host of additional problems.

RELATED: Check Out SurvivorNet’s Resources on Mental Health

So what can caregivers do to make sure they are healthy, both mentally and physically, as well? We spoke to doctors, patient advocates, spiritual leaders, and caregivers who have been through cancer with someone they love dearly to round up some of the best advice.

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And if you need help with finances, we provide resources you can consider to cope with the cancer bills. If your loved one has just been diagnosed and you are just starting your journey as a caregiver, here are the first steps you should take.

Seek Professional Help If You Need It

When a stressful life event occurs, like a loved one being diagnosed with cancer, people respond in a variety of ways.

“The way people respond is very variable,” Psychiatrist Dr. Lori Plutchik told SurvivorNet. “Very much consistent with how they respond to stresses and challenges in their life in general.”

When struggling with a new stressor, there are many different, and healthy, ways to cope. Some people may seek out traditional therapy, and there should be no shame in that.

Psychiatrist Dr. Lori Plutchik discusses how people respond to stressors in different ways.

If you are struggling mentally due to the stress of caring for a loved one, there are many options that may be able to help you cope. These include:

• Seeking professional help from a psychiatrist or therapist
• Learning healthy coping skills
• Medication such as antidepressants
• Adding more physical activity to your routine
• Adjusting your sleep schedule
• Connecting with others via support groups
• Mindfulness and meditation

Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff

Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.

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