As the year comes to a close, I want to take a moment, on behalf of our entire team at Brain Tumour Foundation of Canada, to say thank you.

Thank you for showing up.

Thank you for caring.

Thank you for believing in hope, even in the hardest moments.

This year, thousands of Canadians heard the words, “You have a brain tumour.” Because of you, they did not face that moment alone.

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When renowned neurosurgeon Dr. Fred Gentili was diagnosed with glioblastoma, his wife Gina stepped into the role of caregiver with extraordinary strength, love and purpose. Their journey offers a powerful look at what it means to support someone you love through the hardest moments, and how compassion can shape a legacy that continues long after.

Even as a patient himself, Dr. Gentili remained devoted to the well-being of others, carrying forward the same compassion and dedication that defined his work in the brain tumour community.

Read Dr.Gentili's story

Barb Wentworth’s life took an unexpected turn in 1988, when she was diagnosed with a meningioma near her optic chiasm. The diagnosis and surgeries disrupted her life, including her son Mark’s temporary placement in a group home, and shifted her role from hands-on caregiving to advocacy.

Read Barb's story

Robert and Anne McBryde’s lives changed when Anne was diagnosed with glioblastoma at age 66. While treatment brought many challenges and gradual changes in her abilities, their family focused on creating comfort and stability at home, surrounding Anne with care, love and familiar routines that brought her peace.

Read Robert and Anne's story

The message from our community has been clear and powerful: the Brain Tumour Walks truly matter. They’re a time to come together, to honour, to remember and to find strength and hope in one another.

We’re excited to share what’s ahead for 2026: new walk locations across Canada, inspiring event-day experiences and even more ways to connect and make a difference.

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At Brain Tumour Foundation of Canada, our community is at the heart of everything we do.

This past year, we gathered insights from patients, survivors, caregivers, researchers, health-care professionals and supporters, and compiled the results into a community report. This input will help us shape our next strategic plan and ensure our programs and services reflect the needs of the people we serve.

Read the report

Take a virtual lab tour with researcher Emma Martell and learn how her project, “Breaking the connection: disrupting tumour-blood vessel communication in medulloblastoma,” is opening new possibilities for future treatment approaches.

Watch lab tour

Applications are now open for the 2026 Brain Tumour Research Studentships, a unique opportunity for undergraduate and medical students to gain hands-on experience in brain tumour research. These awards support promising students working on projects that advance understanding, treatment and care.

Learn more

Congratulations to Dr. Sheila Singh on her appointment as Joint Head of the School of Cancer & Pharmaceutical Sciences! Dr. Singh has been an outstanding partner of ours in research and all her support of the acquisition, retention and force behind students for our varied awards, competitions and webinars.

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Congratulations to Dr. Ana Nikolic on being recognized as one of Avenue Calgary’s Top 40 Under 40 for 2025! As our 2025 Elevation Grant Recipient, we’re proud to celebrate her achievements and ongoing contributions to innovation and discovery.

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A new Canadian and U.S. study has made an important breakthrough in treating glioblastoma, one of the most aggressive brain tumours.

The research team, which includes Dr. Mary Jane Lim-Fat, our 2021 Research Grant Recipient, used MRI-guided focused ultrasound with microbubbles to safely open the blood brain barrier and deliver higher amounts of chemotherapy directly to the tumour area.The findings offer encouraging evidence that focused ultrasound could enhance current therapies and bring new possibilities for treating brain tumours in the future.

Read the article

Thank you to Dr. Yan Yuan, professor at the University of Alberta’s School of Public Health, for an engaging and informative webinar on primary brain tumour statistics in Canada. Dr. Yuan highlighted key findings from the latest data, including incidence, prevalence and survival rates across 25 tumour groups.

Watch the recording

We would like to thank Renee Moor, executive director at the Journey Home for Empowered Living and Dying, for an engaging and informative webinar on the landscape of grief. The session explored the often-unspoken grief caregivers experience as they support a loved one through illness, decline and death.

Watch the recording

In this new episode of our Beyond Brain Tumours podcast, Matthew McKinnon shares his journey as a brain tumour survivor and the profound ways in which it challenged his identify, routines, and mental health as a young adult.

Listen to the episode 

The Holiday Season is a time for family and friends to gather in celebration. For those facing grief, depression or other mental health challenges, the holidays can be especially difficult. Make sure to seek support when needed, for your own well-being and for your loved one’s.

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Music has the power to heal, to comfort, and to connect us in moments when words fall short. This belief is at the heart of Music Is Medicine, a Canadian music initiative created by Robert Frances, CEO of PEAK Financial Group and member of the band N2O, in collaboration with Grammy-winning producer Alan Parsons. What began as a tribute to a lost bandmate has grown into a powerful movement using music to support families affected by brain cancer.

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When someone asks how they can help, it can be hard to know what to say. Our info sheet, Ways to Help a Caregiver, offers practical suggestions that make it easier for friends, family, or colleagues to provide meaningful support.

Read the info sheet

As we look back on 2024, we are grateful to reflect on another impactful year in our Hope in Action report. We are filled with gratitude for the enduring support of our community members, donors, fundraisers, volunteers and more.

Read the report

Volunteers are at the heart of everything we do. Whether they’re welcoming families at a Brain Tumour Walk, supporting survivors and caregivers in a support group, or helping children connect at a BrainWAVE event, their dedication strengthens our entire community.

We’re excited to introduce seven exceptional new volunteers who are bringing fresh energy, expertise, and compassion to our programs and events.

Read the article

Interested in joining a 2026 Brain Tumour Walk organizing committee?

We are currently looking for volunteer organizing committee members for various walk locations.

If you’re interested but not quite sure what’s involved, we invite you to sign up for one of our Volunteer Information Sessions, where you’ll meet the team, learn more about the event and discover how you can make a difference. Sign up by selecting one of the sessions below.

This time of year brings moments of reflection, whether warm, tender or difficult. In our community, each moment and each story matters.

We invite you to continue carrying hope forward this holiday season, by donating and sharing a Story of Hope in their honour.

Your gift ensures that those facing a brain tumour can access programs, resources and support in their time of need, and that hope is within reach.