Sofia’s Story

I was at volleyball practice as a healthy and active 16-year-old. My mom picked me up early from practice because I had a headache, and my arm was twitching. I went to the ER nearby.

Had a CT scan where they saw something. I then had an MRI where they saw something, but it could be so many things. My parents think it’s inflammatory. I get transferred to Cohen Children’s Medical Center. The neurosurgeon sees me and says it’s a tumor — a big one and in a bad spot. It’s leaning on the left side of my brain, causing my arm to twitch.

Wait. What? It felt unreal like the doctors just told me fake news because I felt completely fine. 

Denial. Mad. Sad. Scared. Shocked. All the feels at once. It was overwhelming, and I was so scared it was unreal.

I had a spinal tap to rule out infection, and that was normal. I had terrible pressure in my head from the spinal tap. I laid flat for three days, and it was the worst headache of my life. I then had a brain biopsy and a procedure to fix the pressure from the spinal tap.

Oncology introduced themselves and told me I have a glioma brain tumor in my thalamus, and it’s aggressive and rapidly growing. Doctors said because of where it is, it’s inoperable, so I started radiation and then chemo. I fight like hell to keep this stupid tumor at its size and live life to the fullest. I remember everything, and every day is a blessing. I don’t take anything in life for granted because you never know how quickly your life can change.

TAGGED WITH: brain tumor

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