History

Founded in May 1993, the BRAINTMR list was the first online support group and information exchange dealing with brain tumors.

As early as 1995 The BRAINTMR mailing list was “making news.”

• Report on the conference: "The computer as a patient's assistant " held in Boston, May 18th - 19th, 1995 (written by attendee Seamus McMillan, PhD)

Samantha Scolamiero was invited to serve on the faculty at Harvard Medical School’s Division of Continuing Education course called “The Computer as a Patient’s Assistant”.  Ms. Scolamiero was able to give physicians and others who attended a look at how patients had begun to use the Internet to get health information.

• The BRAINTMR list was featured in an article about "An Epidemic of Health on the Internet" , a think tank style report of how it's possible to improve health using the Internet.

  “It is possible to create an epidemic of health,” said Jonas Salk.[1] The convergence of the Internet, global communications, and medical technology have created an environment from which dramatic new advances in health care and enhancement may emerge. ….. The BRAINTMR Internet support group, for example, was started by a young woman who  had a brain tumor successfully removed.  As a survivor of this traumatic experience, she is apowerful communicator to a group of people facing similar problems.  This group of 600 people from  all over the world “meets” via electronic mail and shares their experiences and emotional ups and  downs as they struggle with this common problem.  The group simply emerged: it has no formal  sponsorship or funding".

In 1997, for that very reason, The Healing Exchange BRAIN TRUST is incorporated.

(MORE  History from the mid to late 1990s TO BE WRITTEN)

In December 1999 Board member Nancy Conn-Levin and her husband Eric Levin produced a play, A New Brain,  that addresses serious issues concerning diagnosis, surgery, and family issues surrounding an arterious venous malformation which has many similarities to brain tumors and related conditions. Proceeds Benefit T.H.E. BRAIN TRUST

In 2000 founder is recognized with Tim Gullikson spirit award.