I feel pretty blessed

I have had a benign Meningioma tumor now for 10 years.

Before the Doctors discovered the tumor my life was considerably different.

In 2009 when this all began my 4 beautiful and active children (ages 5 to 14 then) lives also changed. The night it all happened I was out with friends drinking a very small glass of wine slowly (2 hours). Later that evening my husband recalls that I had turned gray and passed out on the couch. I remember becoming violently ill suddenly but didn’t go to the hospital until the following day.

I couldn’t get out of bed for 13 days. Doctors at the hospital couldn’t figure out what was causing my illness. They did an MRI but still didn’t feel the almost plum size tumor could cause such symptoms.

That summer of 2009, I had Gamma Knife Radiation surgery to stop the growth of the tumor; It has not grown larger. However, I have developed autoimmune diseases and am taking several medications. Whether the two are related remains unclear.

Even though I have had Doctors and hospital visits, I wouldn’t change these past 10 years because overall I feel pretty blessed.:)

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