Today we’d like to introduce you to Courtney Burnett.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Hi everyone! I’m Courtney, a 30-something physician, writer, and speaker living with incurable brain cancer. I spend my days as an internal medicine physician and my other time advocating for brain cancer, chronic illness, and invisible illness/disability awareness.
My cancer journey started in February 2020 at age of 29 while I was briefly studying medicine in Thailand. While there, I started to have strange neurological symptoms and ended up diagnosing myself with a brain tumor! As you can imagine, this made for quite an interesting story and experience.
Since then, I’ve moved back to Minnesota. After brain surgery, I was diagnosed with anaplastic astrocytoma, a malignant and incurable form of brain cancer.
At first, I thought, “Oh sh**!” Then, I thought, “What now?”
Now I live my life with fierce intention. I finished medical training and work as an internal medicine (primary care and hospital medicine) physician in St. Paul, MN. My primary career is that of a physician in hospital medicine. My secondary careers and passions are in my writing, speaking, and advocacy work.
I started a blog shortly after my diagnosis which remains active (“Elephant, Lotus, Brain Tumor”) with over 22K readers from >100 countries. Blogging led to additional writing opportunities and I published my first book in 2021, Difficult Gifts: A Physician’s Journey to Heal Body and Mind. Since this time, I have continued to write and now also speak around the world about cancer, chronic illness, and invisible illness/disability awareness. I have spoken on podcasts, and radio stations, for newspaper articles, and as keynotes for The Atlantic Live, JLL, the American Brain Tumor Association, St. Jude, multiple universities, health systems, and other organizations.
My mission is the following:
• Raise awareness for brain cancer, chronic illness, and invisible illness/disability
• Help patients learn how to advocate for themselves
• Share what a “difficult gift” is: To me, a difficult gift is a gift we didn’t want to receive, but one that can change us, motivate us, and inspire us in ways we never imagined. To me, brain cancer was such a gift. Not one I wanted to open, but one that has unexpectedly improved my life.
The words I write and speak are honest, intimate stories of my journey to find happiness, joy, and compassion in this crazy and impermanent life. I hope my words bring you even the briefest moments of happiness and help you find hope where there seems to be none.
Please see my website for more details of my story: www.elephantlotusbraintumor.com
I’m happy to collaborate for custom speaking events of all sizes.
Has it been a smooth road? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Not at all!
I don’t think I’ve ever encountered a smooth road and I don’t expect to. Like all roads, life is a bit bumpy, a bit windy, and not always the length we expect it to be. Sometimes the road faces construction when we don’t expect it. Sometimes, there is ice or rain, or other challenging conditions that impact our ability to steer clearly. Cancer and chronic illness is a lot like this. But, the joy is in the adventure and the sun shines above us even when we’re stuck in unexpected traffic.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am an internal medicine physician. I focus in hospital medicine, where I care for adult patients with a variety of conditions. I focus on medical education, patient advocacy, and raising awareness for disability inclusivity in the workplace.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.elephantlotusbraintumor.com
- Instagram: @courtneyjburnett
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/courtney.400/
Image Credits
Shari Fleming Photography
