Lisa’s Story

On November 5th, 2020, I woke up, started dressing for work. I looked in the mirror to right and saw everything to my left. The night before I ran a fever of 101 and assumed that I had COVID.

I headed to urgent care. Less than a quarter of a mile from my house, I turned around to return home. Arriving five minutes later, I could not remember how to open the garage door.

By the time I reached the ER, I had lost my ability to speak coherently or see clearly. Within an hour, I had a full on grand mal seizure. I underwent an emergency craniotomy to remove a large brain tumor.

Three weeks later, following a severe infection, I had a reaction to the antibiotic and completely lost the ability to speak or see for several hours. It was terrifying! Thankfully I had amazing nurses that helped me through!

Nearly four months from the initial event, I am completely healed, my only side effect is an occasional stutter and I’m confused when I am tired. I have an amazing partner, who advocated for me. Without him, I truly believe I would not have survived.

Because I am so fortunate, I want to do everything I can to help others! I especially want to help those who cannot speak for themselves!

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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.