My brain tumor diagnosis came suddenly. I had no pain, headaches or any kind of warning. On Oct. 3, 2016, I had difficulty conveying my thoughts during a casual conversation at lunch. By 5 p.m., I just didn’t feel right and had difficulty communicating and texting. Our son, a physician, suggested I go to the ER for a CT scan.

My husband and I did just that, and the world changed at 6 p.m. when the radiologist confirmed I had a...