Photo courtesy of
Barbie Kremer, Greensboro, NC
Photo courtesy of
Chris Stein, Pottstown, PA
Photo courtesy of
Jo-Anne van den Berg-Ohms, Bantam, CT
Enter your email address to be reminded in time to participate in the 2010 Tulips Against Tumors Tribute.
The Sixth Annual Tulips Against Tumors Tribute
The following are six facts The Kelly Heinz-Grundner Brain Tumor Foundation thinks everyone should know about brain tumors:
Fact #1
Every day an estimated 575 people are diagnosed
with a brain tumor – that’s about 23 every hour!
Fact #2
There are over 120 different types of brain tumors,
making accurate and efficient treatment complicated.
Fact #3
Some brain tumors cannot be detected by a blood
test which makes an MRI or CT Scan the only efficient
diagnosis tool.
Fact #4
Brain tumors do not discriminate against age, gender,
ethnicity, overall fitness or socioeconomic status –
therefore everyone is a potential candidate.
Fact #5
Brain tumor symptoms may include seizures, chronic
headaches, dizziness, nausea or impaired faculties.
Fact #6
Brain tumors are the leading cause of cancer-related
deaths in children under the age of twenty.
The Kelly Heinz-Grundner Brain Tumor Foundation was established in memory of an amazing woman, Kelly Heinz-Grundner, who died from a grade-four malignant brain tumor in September of 2004. She was only 31. Kelly bravely faced and valiantly fought her disease for over two years. Yet, in spite of Kelly's strong constitution, her unbelievable determination and her pursuit of every possible treatment option, she ultimately was not a match for this terrible disease.
Unfortunately, Kelly is not alone in her fate. This is a disease that can affect anyone at anytime. In fact, every year, an estimated 63,000 people will be diagnosed with a primary brain tumor in the United States. What's more, over 600,000 people are currently living with a primary brain tumor. Despite these staggering facts, the disease still does not receive much attention from the press, the general public and, sadly, many front-line medical professionals.
Our mission is to change this dynamic by shining the light on it and bringing it to the forefront of people’s minds! We know that educating people about the facts, symptoms and proper diagnosis techniques is essential for early diagnosis. Early diagnosis, in turn, provides the best chance of beating the disease; at minimum, it can greatly improve the quality of life for those affected. Our hope is that, by building awareness of the disease, brain tumors will be diagnosed earlier, thus increasing patients’ treatment choices and chances for survival.
Our secondary goal with our awareness efforts is just as important—to create a platform for people to get involved in the fight against brain tumors. The bottom line is there simply are not enough people supporting this cause right now. Our aim is to bring more people to the fight for the benefit of the entire brain tumor community.
Your participation in The Sixth Annual Tulips Against Tumors Tribute will help us reach these goals!
The idea of the Tulips Against Tumors Tribute is for supporters to purchase tulip bulbs from the Foundation and then plant them on a designated date in honor of all those who have struggled, or are currently struggling, with a brain tumor. We believe that this event will continue to grow in size and scope each year, as well as in the level of national awareness it draws to the brain tumor cause.
We sincerely hope that you will help build awareness by purchasing tulip bulbs and then joining us on National Planting Day – Saturday, November 6, 2010 at 1:00 pm EST. And, when your friends and neighbors admire your lovely tulips in the spring, we also hope that you will tell them about the Foundation and your tie to this disease. We thank you in advance for your support!
Additional Background
Written by Susan Morisson
(Mother of Foundation founder, Chris Grundner)
When I first met Kelly, I was eager to get to know her and find out what we had in common – other than our both loving my son, Chris Grunder. As it turned out, we had several things in common, one of which was a love for tulips. Tulips were Kelly’s favorite flower, and she once told me that if she could, she would fill the world with them. After Kelly was stricken with the brain tumor, I was beside myself with her suffering and wanted desperately to do something to let her know that she was in my heart every minute of every day although I was so far away. Then, Chris reminded me how much she loved tulips. I was thrilled, not only because I remembered the conversation she and I had years ago, but because they were in season and I was able to have some sent to her immediately.
As always, Kelly was so thankful for the tulips, especially the purple ones! She said that she loved tulips because they always made her smile.
As fate would have it, one of the next times I saw beautiful tulips was at the luncheon following Kelly’s memorial service. I’ll never forget the sight of them—the room was overflowing with tulips of every color and type, each one a symbol of the love and utter grief of the hundreds of people who attended to bid her farewell that day.
As I thought about how we could acknowledge the anniversary of Kelly’s death, it occurred to me that it would be a true gesture of our love to remember Kelly each year with the tulips she so loved. Thus, the Tulips Against Tumors Tribute came to life, and it is with great pleasure that we hold this annual event in Kelly’s honor. This Tribute has become an integral part of The Kelly Heinz-Grundner Foundation, and we anticipate that it will help to promote the brain tumor cause at the national level. It is our ultimate dream that as awareness of and research about brain tumors increases, the number of people who suffer and succumb to this dreaded disease is greatly diminished.
Like the tulip that is never ending and ever renewing, we trust that Kelly continues to grow and unfold in an even more beautiful and light-filled place. Although she is beyond our view right now, we believe that she will somehow know that we are remembering her in this way and smile her beautiful smile upon us.
If you have any questions, please contact tulips@braintumor.org
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