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brainstrust publishes The Snaggle Tooth Splat – an illustrated book for children suffering with brain cancer
Brain Tumour Awareness Month – March 2011
15 March 2011

brainstrust, the Meg Jones brain cancer charity, has just published The Snaqgle Tooth Splat, an illustrated children’s story book designed to explain to children who have just been diagnosed with brain cancer what a brain tumour is and how the doctors will fight it. The book has been written by Karen Boswell, illustrated by Jason Mortimer and sponsored by Learning Curve. The foreword is by actress Julie Walters CBE.

The hard facts are that brain cancer kills more children than any other illness; brain tumours account for one quarter of childhood cancer; and brain tumours have overtaken leukaemia as the leading cause of cancer death in children.

brainstrust director, Helen Bulbeck, said: “We found more and more parents of children with brain cancer were getting in touch to express their confusion at the diagnosis that their child had received, and also for advice on how to broach the diagnosis with their children. There was a general feeling of loss of control immediately after a diagnosis.

“The Snaggle Tooth Splat is designed to help parents educate their children about what they are going through, and explains what brainstrust and clinicians are doing to help them. The book can also be used to explain to children what a newly diagnosed parent may be going through.

“The writer Karen Boswell and the illustrator Jason Mortimer, who donated their professional services free of charge, worked closely with health care professionals from the neuro-oncology field to ensure the book met its objectives as effectively as possible. The book was then tested by brainstrust, with relevant health care professionals, parent carers, and school audiences. Both the initiative and execution were exceptionally well received.”

The 28-page illustrated book will be distributed to all relevant brainstrust parent carers, either as a mailing, or in brain boxes – an essential tool kit that is sent free of charge by brainstrust to all new patients to assist them on their journey from first diagnosis to treatment to after care. It will also be distributed to paediatric neuro-oncology departments in hospitals throughout England, Scotland and Wales so that neuro-oncology nurses can pass the book onto their parent carers.

Karen Boswell, who has been writing children’s stories for ten years, was inspired by the adventures of her childhood companion, Monty, the purple monster. She identified similarities between Monty’s antics and the mischief that a brain tumour can play in a child’s head. Spurred on by the devastating statistics, Karen penned The Snaggle Tooth Splat.

Jason Mortimer is a design and advertising professional with a love for illustration. Once Karen had asked him if he would like to be involved and had read the story, he knew it was something he really wanted to be a part of. Inspired by the words, he went off and created the colourful images which he hopes helps to get the message across.

Sponsor Learning Curve is committed to ‘Everyday great value parenting’ by providing products that offer quality, safe, innovative, educational and practical solutions to raising newborns through to early childhood. A long time supporter of Toy Trust, a charity that helps disadvantaged children, it was delighted to support the first publication of the book.

brainstrust is an active member of the Brain Tumour Research Group.

Notes to Editors:
brainstrust
brainstrust, the Meg Jones brain cancer charity, creates solutions for people with brain tumours, as well as saving lives. The charitable trust is dedicated to improving proactive care for brain tumour sufferers and providing co-ordinated support in their search for treatment. Nearly 400 families to date have benefited from brainstrust support in their battle against brain tumours.

brainstrust was founded in 2006 after the charitable trust’s icon, Meg Jones, had been diagnosed with a brain tumour at the age of 19. Meg subsequently underwent successful neurosurgery for the removal of the tumour in Boston, USA, during the summer of 2007.

For her efforts on behalf of brainstrust, director, Helen Bulbeck was recognised as one of the 400 ‘women of the year’ for 2010.

For more information, visit: www.brainstrust.org.uk

Brain Tumour Facts
• Brain cancer kills more children than any other illness.
• More children and people under the age of 40 die from a brain tumour in the UK than any other form of cancer.
• Brain tumours account for one quarter of childhood cancer. Tumours of the central nervous system are the second most common form of cancer in children aged birth to 15 years.
• Brain tumours have overtaken leukaemia as the leading cause of cancer death in children.
• In the UK, there are around 8,600 new cases of primary brain tumour every year.
• Sixty-five per cent more women die from a brain tumour than from cervical cancer.
• It is the fastest fatal disease in the over 65s. The incidence is increasing significantly in this age group.
• There is no UK-wide strategy for the treatment of, or research into, brain cancer.
• As no structured research base exists for brain tumours, treatment options are limited. It is not known why people get brain cancer.

Brain Tumour Patients
Famous living brain tumour patients include Lance Armstrong, Seve Ballesteros, Martin Kemp, Wayne Osmond, Glen Roeder, Julia Somerville, Elizabeth Taylor and Russell Watson.

Famous persons who died from a brain tumour before they reached 60 include Richard Burns, George Gershwin, Brian Glover, Tim Gullikson, Bill Hayley, George Harrison, Susan Hayward, Emlyn Hughes, Bob Marley, Mo Mowlam, Tammi Terrell and François Truffaut.

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