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We are so grateful to the team at Carolina Neuro for saving my life last year and excited to participate in this 5K as a brain tumor survivor. Check out my story below 🩶

Late 2021 I began experiencing intermittent loss of vision in my right eye. At first it was once or twice a day, but over time escalated to 10+ times a day. It was time to call the doc. After a thorough eye exam finding nothing but healthy eyes, my opthamologist ordered an MRI to take a look at my brain. 

I had the MRI on 01/06/22, expecting inconclusive results in 2-3 business days. First thing the next day, I got a call that would change our lives. 

“The radiologist reviewed your MRI from yesterday afternoon and discovered a very large mass in your right frontal lobe that’s pressing on your optic nerve and causing that vision loss. I’ve already contacted @carolinaneuroandspine and they are awaiting your arrival at @atriumhealth CMC Main in Charlotte. How quickly can you get there?” 

I called Chase, he rushed home to accompany me to the hospital. We had no idea what to expect. Should I bring extra clothes? Am I staying the night? There’s no way I’ll have surgery or anything right away, right? I called my parents, and despite me telling them they didn’t need to come, they packed a bag and headed our way - a 10 hr drive from their new home in FL. I called in to work saying “I might need a few days off, I have a brain mass and don’t know what to expect but I know I’m headed to the hospital to meet with a neurosurgery team.”

From there, things happened really quickly.

I met with the neurosurgeons who explained that my MRI showed I had a large brain tumor, likely a benign meningioma, but it needed to be removed. They asked me multiple times if I had been experiencing seizures, which I had not. They couldn’t believe I hadn’t experienced a seizure based on the size of the tumor (approximately a grapefruit). I realized I was lucky I hadn’t had one while driving, or worse, driving with my kids. 

I was admitted to the Neurosciences Institute floor where I would spend the next few days preparing for 2 surgeries, both scheduled for Monday 01/10.
The 1st was an embolization to stop the blood flow to my tumor, making removal of the tumor less risky. I was put under general anesthesia and a neurosurgeon navigated a catheter from my thigh, through my torso, up my neck, and blocked off the blood supply that was feeding the tumor. It was done first thing Monday morning, and all went well.
Now for the 2nd surgery, tumor removal. It was expected to start at 3pm and last around 3 hours, leaving me with a 3-4" incision/scar on my scalp. They didn't get started until around 6pm, and they didn't finish until just after 12am. 6 hours under anesthesia, and I woke up to a 10" incision with 36 staples. Turns out the tumor was larger than the imaging showed.

A post-op MRI showed no tumor matter remained, and my brain was slowly taking back the space the tumor had stolen. Pathology confirmed a few days later that the tumor was indeed a grade 1 benign meningioma. The best news we could have hoped for.

I spent the next few days between the neuro ICU and the neuro floor recovering, hitting a few bumps in the road along the way but ultimately I was able to come home after a total of 6 days in the hospital, 12 lbs lighter!

I'm so thankful to be alive, and for this second chance at life! Thank you Dr. Mark Smith and the entire Carolina neuro team!!