Becoming Who I Am

Becoming Who I Am

Kayla

I’m Kayla Horton and I was diagnosed with a brain tumor at the age of 19. I started having symptoms at age 17, but at the time didn’t know any better. I saw a few doctors and they associated my symptoms with being in “my generation”. Well I joined the U.S. Airforce at 18 still not thinking anything of it and then out of basic training started experiencing blackouts, migraines, loss of balance-you name it, I had it! After being seen about twenty times and being shrugged off by the doctors saying “you are just stressed out with the military lifestyle”, I started to give up although my body was telling me I was dying (literally). Well I got stationed at a new base, and miraculously the Optometrist on my routine screening noticed swelling in my eyes, that was later attributed to a small orange-sized tumor, which they said I should technically be brain dead from! Well given the tumors size I was given two weeks until surgery. Expecting nothing of the consequences I went in thinking I was going to come out magnificent! Well unlike I suspected, I woke up with facial paralysis and the loss of function to the whole left side of my body. After 30 days inpatient I was released from the hospital to do intense therapy for a year, where I learned to walk again (not perfectly though). About 13 months post-op I found out I would have to endure another Craniotomy due to the fact the small portion left from the first surgery had not taken to the Radiation and had started growing at a fast rate. I have since recovered now from this more than life changing Acoustic Neuroma. I am grateful to be alive although my facial paralysis is with me for life, and the doctors can’t say how much control I will get back from left side. I have since found a saying that I now live by, “Without struggle there is no progress” and I hope more people hear this and think that the struggles they go through aren’t going to hold them back!

Opinions expressed within this story belong solely to the author and do not reflect the views or opinions of the National Brain Tumor Society.