Mission Statement
After the idea to start the Foundation was conceived in October 2004,
a
“gap analysis” was conducted in which the offerings of the
existing brain tumor organizations were closely examined. The purpose was
to determine what kinds of services were already available through these
organizations and, more importantly, what kinds of services were not. It
was extremely important to the start-up team to have the opportunity to
create an organization that delivered against critical and unaddressed
needs within the brain tumor community.
It was decided that we could best make a difference in the fight against
brain tumors by focusing on and accomplishing three things:
- Raise Public Awareness: We believe that one of the
most important things that should be done to aid in the fight against
brain tumors is to educate the public regarding the statistics related
to brain tumors, the symptoms of the disease, the proper diagnosis technique
and any potential preventative measures. Increased awareness will result
in earlier diagnosis for those who get the disease and earlier diagnosis,
in turn, will give the patient a better chance of beating the disease.
In the format of an equation, it breaks down as follows: Increased
Awareness = Earlier Diagnosis = Increased Odds of Survival.
We feel an earlier diagnosis could potentially extend the patient’s
life and improve his or her quality of life during the illness, both
of which are positive outcomes. Unfortunately, a lot of progress still
needs to be made in raising awareness. As a result, we intend to make
this our top priority.
- Support Individuals and Families of Individuals Facing the
Disease: In addition to raising awareness, we feel another
area that desperately needs attention is serving the individuals and
families currently affected by this disease. There are reportedly about
200,000 people newly diagnosed with a brain tumor each year. Sadly,
many of these individuals are unable to financially cope with the expenses
associated with the various treatment plans. What’s worse, many
of these individuals don’t have the emotional support they need
either.
- Support Advanced Research: There is no question that
additional research needs to be done to find a cure. However, we feel
strongly that there is a need to advocate for more “targeted research” so
that the medical community and the general public can better understand
the causes of brain tumors, possible preventative measures and the potential
for patient specific treatment options, including the use of both mainstream
and complementary medicines. For that reason, we also plan to support
the efforts of health care professionals who are dedicated to these areas
of research.
The mission statement for The Kelly Heinz-Grundner Brain Tumor Foundation,
Inc. is as follows:
The Kelly Heinz-Grundner Brain Tumor Foundation, Inc. is a 501(c)(3)
non-profit Corporation dedicated to (a) raising national awareness of
brain tumors; (b) providing much needed emotional and financial support
to individuals and families of individuals suffering from a brain tumor;
and (c) supporting and advocating advanced research targeted at determining
the causes of the disease, possible preventative measures and the potential
for patient specific treatment options.
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