Brain Tumor

In the afternoon on this day 11 years ago, I had gotten an MRI of my brain done just half an hour prior to getting home when my doctor suddenly called me…

Just a few days before this, I had seen him at the clinic and told him, “I think I have a slow-growing brain tumor”, and I requested an order for an MRI.

Yes, that's right, I said that exact thing.

Thankfully and surprisingly, he agreed to right away. He knew that I was a PA, so maybe that helped with his quick decision to do so. I remember when I felt my spirit knew that something was wrong after a few months of sitting on this nudge to get it checked. I even recall the times I told my husband and my closest friends that I had some feeling that I had a tumor. They told me not to assume the worst and hopefully the headaches and other symptoms were nothing serious. But something told me I needed to get scanned to be sure…

With that call, I had a feeling the news that was coming — he told me this, “I hate to tell you this, but you are right, you have a mass in your brain. Are you ok? Do I need to send you to the hospital?"

I replied, "No, I'm fine. I've been going about my daily life as usual, working, and taking care of my child." I didn't feel like my symptoms were urgent. Thankfully, further testing showed that it ended up being benign.

True story.

It’s still crazy every time I think of it. I remember this day so well. It was a Monday afternoon when I got the MRI and it was the prior Thursday when I had just seen my doctor.

I believe the Spirit of the Lord guided me to be seen after having symptoms for some time. And I’m thankful I finally took my stubborn self in. I praise God that it was slow-growing and not cancerous.

I still have a little amount of the tumor that remains since it was greatly affecting my cranial nerves as it was pressed up against my brain stem. The surgeon told me that if he had taken it all out, it would have caused facial paralysis on one side of my face, and it would have also affected my swallowing to the point where I would have needed a feeding tube. I am forever grateful that I had such a positive outcome and that I only lost hearing on that one side.

I get asked often if I ever worry that the remaining tumor has grown. The thought is always there whenever I have a headache, but I just remain faithful.

Please continue to pray with me that it will be gone forever someday. 🙏🏼

#btma #braintumorawareness #weargreyinmay#braintumor #survivor #grateful