Bailey Miller was only two years old when she had her first seizure. Doctors thought it was a one-off, until her seizures became more frequent. She had brief lapses where she would experience a loss of awareness, a symptom of absence seizures, and later, full tonic-clonic seizures, characterized by a complete loss of consciousness and muscle contractions.

Migraines weren’t uncommon for then-25-year-old Marissa Stubbert, who had experienced them since high school. “I could always function,” Marissa says. “I know some people get a migraine and they’re down and out, but that never happened to me.” One morning, Marissa was getting ready for work and had a migraine that wouldn’t subside.

Ten-year-old Massimo MacFarlane is eager to tell his story. Sitting next to his mom, Amanda Ceccarelli, Massimo is animated when he speaks, showing the confidence he’s grown into through his journey.

Emmett Undseth was just seven years old, having a pillow fight with his 10-year-old brother, when it became clear something was very wrong. With four siblings, horsing around was the norm and not usually cause for concern. This time, though, Emmett complained of severe eye pain.

Ben Seewald is passionate about his work as a support services specialist at Brain Tumour Foundation of Canada, where he helps children, youth and families managing a brain tumour diagnosis find resources and community.

Kayla Krahn has just returned from a run, her four-year-old son, Ben, energetically jumping behind her. Healthy and active, Kayla is also a brain tumour survivor, having had her life turned upside down only a few short years ago.