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The Brain Aneurysm
Foundation
By
Tom Quirk |
On August 19, 1994, The
Brain Aneurysm Foundation was established in Boston by MGH
professionals, Christopher Ogilvy, MD, Deidre Buckley, NP
and Suzanne Kellogg, RN.
The Foundation developed from a close relationship between
patients and healthcare professionals, who identified the
need for comprehensive information and support for brain
aneurysm patients, their families, and the medical
community. Some of its roots trace back to 1905, when MGH
physician Joseph Pratt recognized the importance of mutual
support in recovery and health maintenance.
In 1992 Deidre Buckley created the first brain aneurysm
support group at MGH partially premised on the work of
JeanWatson, PhD, RN, who defined caring as “a quality that
is based on human values and a concern for the well-being of
others.” I have looked at some of Watson’s work and am
struck by her thoughts about a caring occasion; “the moment
when the nurse and another person come together in such a
way that an occasion for human caring is created.” Both the
care-giver and the cared-for, when aware that a caring
occasion exists, are influenced by the choices and actions
within the relationship, and it becomes “transpersonal,” and
the “event of the moment expands the limits of openness and
has the ability to expand human capabilities.” Certainly few
of us are qualified nurses, but it seems to me that this
“caring occasion” is the essence of what we are striving to
attain in a support group.
The mission of the Brain Aneurysm Foundation is to provide
support networks and educational resources to raise public
awareness regarding the early detection and treatment of
brain aneurysms. They aim to:
• Raise public awareness about brain aneurysms through the
dissemination of educational literature about brain
aneurysms.
• Ease the recovery process for survivors and families
through support networks, our website, and continued public
awareness initiatives.
• Assist medical professionals, health institutions, and
other individuals in setting up local chapters and support
groups around the country.
• Raise money for the Foundation to expand the educational
library, coordinate symposia, enhance support groups, and
eventually provide money for research. |
ABOUT THE
AUTHOR
For more information you may contact Tom Quirk at (781)
545-2300, extension 628 or via email at tfquirk@aol.com. For
more detailed information about brain aneurysms, please
visit the Brain Aneurysm Foundation’s web site at
www.bafound.org.
The South Shore Brain Aneurysm Support
Group meetings are held the second Wednesday of every month,
from 7:30 - 9:00 p.m. at St. Mary's Parish Center, 2 Edward
Foster Road, Scituate.
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