A Houston hospital is on a mission to get the word out about a deadly disease that’s striking the Hispanic community in increasing numbers.

On Saturday, the Methodist Hospital will host a seminar for patients and physicians in Spanish.

KHOU-TV

The Methodist Hospital's seminar is Saturday.

It was here Viola Mata first noticed something was wrong.

The right side of her body was suddenly weaker than the left.

“I couldn’t do the hands like this; it was more like this,” she said.

The primary caretaker for her sick son, Mata ignored the symptoms until they got worse.

“I had thoughts in my mind but they wouldn’t come out,” Mata said. “My husband had to complete my sentences for me.”Dr. Pamela New diagnosed Viola Mata with a malignant brain tumor.

“People tend to think they’re having symptoms related to stress or anxiety,” Dr. New said.

Hispanics are the second most likely group to develop brain cancer, yet they are less likely to seek treatment.

While there are no studies that indicate why more Hispanics are getting brain tumors,  doctors said once they are diagnosed that population struggles with the language barrier.

The Methodist Hospital will host a seminar in hopes of reversing what they see as a disturbing trend.

“We’re concerned they don’t really understand the impact of the tumor, the importance of therapy, continuing on with treatment and follow-up,” Dr. New said.

Mata would be considered a star patient.

“You can’t give up hope,” Mata said. “There’s always hope, and there’s always something new.”

She’s battled her way through surgery, chemo and radiation.

The seminar is at 8:30 a.m. in the Rio Grande Conference Room at the Methodist Hospital. For more information in English, call (713) 441-3834. For Spanish, call (713) 441-3841.