Dr. Akanksha Sharma’s Heartfelt Message for the Brain Tumor Community & Beyond

During the ABTA Brain Tumor 5K Walk & Run event, Akanksha Sharma, MD, neuro-oncologist, neurologist, and palliative care specialist at Pacific Neuroscience Institute^® (PNI ^®), delivered a heartfelt message. In her speech, she shed light on the profound impact of brain tumors, the challenges that patients face, and shared inspiring advancements in research. 

American Brain Tumor Association Hosts 5K Walk & Run

On Saturday, October 14, 2023, the American Brain Tumor Association (ABTA) organized the Breakthrough for Brain Tumors 5K Walk & Run (BT5K) event in Santa Monica, California. Many survivors, along with their families, friends, care partners, and medical staff, came together to raise funds for advancing our understanding and treatment of brain tumors. 

PNI supports ABTA in their mission to raise essential funds for brain tumor research and support services. As a BT5K host committee member, Dr. Sharma, had the honor of delivering a speech during the opening ceremony. Her heartfelt words, which follow, left a lasting impression. 

Dr. Sharma’s Speech

Good morning, my name is Akanksha Sharma. I am a neurologist, neuro-oncologist, and palliative care specialist at Pacific Neuroscience Institute here in Santa Monica. I’m honored to be here today as part of the Host Committee for this walk. Our chair, Wendy Santana, and the entire committee have done a truly incredible job over the last several months pulling together this wonderful event that we hope you will all enjoy and find meaningful today.  

Yesterday, my team and I here in Santa Monica lost our 32^nd patient this year. Yes, you heard that right. 32 of our patients have passed away already this year. These were 32 incredible, amazing, brilliant, loving individuals, radiant beings with wonderful families they loved, who are now devastated by loss. 32 of 700,000 patients living with brain tumors in the United States.

What is especially hard as their medical team is watching how the tumor robs them, bit by bit, of so much. It impacts the whole family, shaking and tearing up their entire world. A patient’s wife told me last week “I am watching him melt away like a candle.” Glioblastoma, the most aggressive of these tumors, truly robs us of lights in this world. It is an unfair, angry, vicious monster of a tumor. And yet we still have only four FDA approved treatments for glioblastoma. A disease that has such a high mortality rate that if you live more than two years you are considered a long-term or extreme survivor. Just four treatments. 

But here is what I also know. I have patients living and thriving with metastatic brain tumors – more than a decade out from their diagnosis, thanks to research that identified immunotherapy and targeted therapy options for them. I have young patients who were given a nine-month prognosis for their brainstem glioma. Today, they are almost five years out, living full lives, having children, because they are on a clinical trial with a drug that worked. I have patients who are truly miracles; they have been able to beat all odds and expectations because they found the right treatment at the right time. A treatment that was only possible due to advances in research, only accessible due to a clinical trial. 

I do this work because I am hopeful and optimistic that all my patients will one day be able to live with their tumor as if it was a chronic disease – not a death sentence. One day, and that day is close, these stories of survivors will not be rare; it will be the norm. I am hopeful for a future where all my patients are miracles, not just a select few. 

The American Brain Tumor Association, the nation’s oldest nonprofit organization dedicated to brain tumor education, support, and research, will help us get there. They’ve funded over $30 million in brain tumor research that has led to innovative and practice-changing work. They provide educational and support resources to patients and families across the country – resources like their mentorship program, or their community events, which help so many of my patients and their loved ones find support. I am grateful for all the ABTA has done and continues to do for the field and am proud to be here today. 

Today, I hope that together we can remind our community that brain tumors impact so many in our world. Our patients and their loved ones need and deserve the attention, the support, the financial resources, and the research focus that so many other diseases get! Together, let’s raise funds to change the future for all those living with these tumors or impacted by them.

I walk today in honor of the 32 patients I’ve lost this year and the many, many patients before them who’ve inspired me and amazed me with their courage, resilience, generosity and hope. I walk for Jan, who walked into my life many years ago and inspired me to do this work. I walk for my many patients who can’t walk with me today but are facing the world with their tumors every single day. I walk for their families, some of the strongest and awe-inspiring people I know. I walk with hope, with excitement for the future. Join me in that hope with all your enthusiasm and energy! Let’s change the future of brain tumor care!  Thank you for being here today! 

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Relevant Links

• Pacific Brain Tumor Center
• Brain Tumor Resources
• Supportive Care Clinic
• Brain Tumor Treatment Locations
• Find a Doctor

Pacific Brain Tumor Center

The Pacific Brain Tumor Center provides comprehensive treatment and supportive care for brain tumor patients and their families. If you or someone you care for has been recently diagnosed with a brain or skull base tumor (benign or malignant) there’s time for you to get another viewpoint. We’ll provide a rapid review of your medical records and imaging and give you our unique perspective on the optimal treatment pathway.

More information: 310-582-7450

About Dr. Akanksha Sharma

Akanksha Sharma, MD, is board certified in neurology, neuro-oncology and palliative medicine. She is experienced in the treatment of primary/metastatic brain tumors, neurological complications of cancer, and disease-related burden and symptoms. Her clinical and research interests lie in helping patients maximize their time and quality of life. She aims to align treatment with patient goals and to provide holistic care that includes careful symptom assessment and management, as well as support for the patient’s loved ones.

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