— Brain Tumour Awareness Week is taking place from 30th October to 6th November with a special line-up of events, including the annual Wear A Hat Day national fundraiser on 5th November —
Leading national charity Brain Tumour Ireland is giving people the opportunity to say thanks to everyday people and healthcare professionals who have supported those affected by brain tumours, to mark Brain Tumour Awareness Week — the theme of which this year is ‘Hats off to you’ — happening from Saturday, 30th October until Saturday, 6th November.
A special series of events are taking place during the awareness-raising week to help highlight the 400-plus brain tumour cases that are diagnosed every year in Ireland, the advances in brain tumour medical research, and the work of Brain Tumour Ireland in providing support and information to people with brain tumours, along with their families, friends and carers.
The line-up includes a fascinator workshop for healthcare professionals being led by milliner Lina Stein — Lina was personally affected by a brain tumour having been diagnosed with a meningioma in 2016; a medical research conference at Beaumont Hospital; the annual Wear A Hat Day fundraiser; while a ‘Hats off to you’-themed initiative called ‘Hats Off Heroes’ is offering people who have been affected by brain tumours the opportunity to nominate a person who has helped them and who Brain Tumour Ireland can thank on their behalf.
Commenting on the announcement of the ‘Hats off to you’ thank-you theme of Brain Tumour Awareness Week 2021, Chairperson of Brain Tumour Ireland, Peter Cosgrove, said, “This year, on behalf of everyone who has been affected by brain tumours, we would like to say a big thank you to the everyday people who have provided them with support together with the frontline workers in the health system. This is why we have chosen the theme of ‘Hats off to you’ for Brain Tumour Awareness Week this year for which we have a very special line-up of events planned.
“We are delighted to be welcoming milliner Lina Stein as our fascinator workshop partner this year. Lina was personally affected by a brain tumour five years ago and this is her way of saying thanks and giving something back. Wear a Hat Day is always hugely popular and Lina’s highly creative hats are sure to be a colourful highlight of the week.
“Our ‘Hats Off Heroes’ initiative is all about thanking the people who have helped someone affected by a brain tumour in some small but invaluable way. A hero could be a fellow parent who took over the school run or the football practice run, or maybe they dropped in meals. It could be a neighbour who cut their grass or trimmed their hedge or a member of the community who provided lifts to hospital appointments. Perhaps it was a local hairdresser who paid a courtesy home visit. We are looking forward to people nominating their ‘hero’ so that we can learn about these stories and thank these everyday heroes for their quiet contributions.
“On Friday the 5th of November, Brain Tumour Ireland invites you to don a hat, whichever style you fancy, for our annual Wear A Hat Day fundraiser. Lina Stein will be judging the best selfie, so don’t forget to post yours online using #WearAHatDay and texting BTI to 50300 to donate €4 to Brain Tumour Ireland. We are extremely thankful to everyone who makes the effort to support the work of Brain Tumour Ireland by making a donation on Wear A Hat Day. The money raised is vital for funding our work in providing the latest information, resources and support services to people affected by brain tumours in Ireland, of which there are more than 400 cases diagnosed each year, together with their loved ones and carers.”
Brain Tumour Awareness Week 2021 Events’ Line-Up
Fascinator Workshop with Lina Stein:
Brain Tumour Ireland is partnering with milliner Lina Stein for Brain Tumour Awareness Week 2021, during which Lina is hosting a complimentary Fascinator Workshop for healthcare professionals on Sunday, 31st October. Lina was affected by a meningioma brain tumour in 2016 and was diagnosed after she experienced a seizure while she was teaching a hat-making workshop in her Westport, Co Mayo design studio. Her hats have been worn at high-profile events including Royal Ascot and the Galway Races. Today, Lina teaches hat-making classes at home and internationally, including in the United States and Australia. She also continues to create hats and her recent designs include a special range of headpieces that she has titled Brainwaves, inspired by her personal brain tumour experience and reflecting her signature style for using more unusual materials in her millinery.
Hats Off Heroes:
Inspired by the ‘Hats off to you’ thank-you theme of Brain Tumour Awareness Week, an initiative called ‘Hats Off Heroes’ is offering those who have been affected by brain tumours an opportunity to thank those people, who, through acts of support and kindness, helped them around their diagnosis. A shortlist of ‘Hats Off Heroes’ nominees will have their names put in a hat for a special prize draw, while a selection of the submitted stories will be highlighted on Brain Tumour Ireland’s social media channels during Brain Tumour Awareness Week. Nominations must be made through a special ‘Hats Off Heroes’ online form which is now live on www.braintumourireland.com.
Half-Day Conference for Medical Professionals:
Brain Tumour Ireland is hosting a half-day neuro-oncology medical research conference at the Robert Adams Theatre at Beaumont Hospital, Dublin, on Wednesday, 3rd November, which is shining a light on a number of challenging and important medical and patient topics, including:
- Palliative care and bereavement expert Brian Nolan will explore the latest thinking and approaches around how medical professionals deliver bad news to patients and their loved ones.
- To mark International Brain Tumour Awareness Week, which is taking place consecutively, President of the International Brain Tumour Alliance (IBTA) Kathy Oliver is presenting a talk entitled ‘Out of the Shadows: Raising Awareness of the Challenges of Brain Tumours – The IBTA Experience’. Kathy’s son Colin died in 2011 at age 32 after being diagnosed with a brain tumour at age 24 and she now heads up one of the world’s leading brain organisations for brain tumour patient and carer groups.
- Consultant Neuropathologist Professor Michael Farrell is delivering a talk on the Brain Tumour Research Study (BTIS) taking place in Beaumont Hospital and his talk is entitled ‘The War on Adult Glioma – Battles Won and Lost’.
Wear A Hat Day:
Friday, 5th November is the annual Wear A Hat Day, when people across the country are invited to put on their favourite hat, take a selfie, post it on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram using #WearAHatDay and then text BTI to 50300 to donate €4 to Brain Tumour Ireland. The money raised will go towards funding the work of Brain Tumour Ireland in providing up-to-the-minute information, support and resources to help people affected by brain tumours in Ireland. The best selfie will win a Lina Stein-designed hat, with Lina herself choosing the winner.
Commenting on her partnership with Brain Tumour Awareness Week, milliner Lina Stein said, “Hats off to the people who help is a very positive message and I’m very grateful to be involved with this campaign. It’s perfect timing for me to host a fascinator workshop for healthcare professionals, with it being five years since I underwent my own brain tumour diagnosis, surgery and recovery. I can be thankful myself to everyone who helped me and I can help Brain Tumour Ireland by being creative and giving someone a fabulous hat to look at and smile about. I’m also excited to be judging the Wear A Hat Day ‘best selfie’ competition and I’ll be looking out for the quirkiest and loudest hats that speak from the soul.”