Have Hope: Shirley Tate’s Story

This is my incredible mother, Shirley. The strongest woman I know. In 2009, she began to have debilitating headaches. She went to doctor after doctor. They couldn’t find the cause. Finally, a specialist was able to identify the reason. She was diagnosed with a macro pituitary adenoma. 

It’s been 15 years since then, and so much has happened. She’s had five brain surgeries, multiple rounds of chemotherapy/radiation, and been diagnosed with other diseases as a result of her brain tumor. She was even diagnosed with congestive heart failure after her first round of chemo and had to get a pacemaker and defibrillator put in. At a certain point, the doctors were stumped. Her tumor was benign, yet it was behaving aggressively like cancer. It was also partially under her brain in a sensitive area, so it was extremely difficult to treat. 

It messed with a lot of her daily activities. Sometimes, she was so weak and tired that she could barely even get out of bed. I took care of her during this time, and based on what the doctors were saying, I didn’t think I’d have a lot of time left with her. At the very least, I thought she wouldn’t be able to function the same cognitively again. I was so wrong. I’ve never seen someone with so much faith and determination as my sweet mama. Even as sick as she was, she was not going to let this brain tumor stop her.

Despite having five brain surgeries, on May 26, 2022, my mama walked that stage. What stage, you may ask? Oh, it’s just the one in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She graduated from Harvard University, and she gave God all the praise. 

One thing about my mom is she hadn’t worked in years due to being sick. I was a senior in high school at this point, and she hadn’t worked since I was four. This all changed in January 2023. She got a job as a hospice chaplain. She makes a difference in people’s lives daily. Transitioning people need love and hope, too. So my mom provides that for them. 

By this time, my mom’s tumor was stabilized, and she was doing well…until she wasn’t. On June 10, 2023, she woke me up in the middle of the night. She was in tears and told me that she was in the most pain she’d ever been in. We got her to the ER, and she had to be transferred to a different hospital due to the severity. Once we were at the neurosciences hospital, they were able to find the cause. Her tumor had grown and shifted. 

The original plan was a sixth brain surgery. They realized that it wasn’t possible because her tumor had shifted to a place in her brain that was inoperable. We stayed at that hospital for a week with no solid answers. Then, they scheduled an appointment. At that appointment, we got her treatment plan. She was to do five weeks of chemotherapy and radiation from August to September. This was our last hope. After this round, they didn’t want to do anymore because of the possible damage since she had undergone so much chemo and radiation before.

It was a long five weeks, but on September 12th, 2023, she got to hit that gong for completion of treatment. A few months later, she got a follow-up MRI to see if the treatment had worked. 

After 15 years, we finally got some good news. Her tumor was continuing to decrease, and it was NO LONGER ACTIVE!!! And that’s the story of the incredible woman I get to call my mother. No matter what the doctors are saying or how many years it’s been, have faith & hope. If it can happen to my mom, it can happen to you, too.

TAGGED WITH: pituitary adenoma

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