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Rediscovering Life After a Brain Tumor

Published on January 22, 2019 in Share Your Story

This is my story. A story of perseverance, courage and the strength you can find in the darkest of circumstances. I thought I was in amazing health. I was shocked when doctors told me otherwise. I had a brain tumor the size of a golf ball, an intraventricular meningioma. The doctors needed to operate.

I thought it would be an easy recovery. My boss assumed I would be back in three weeks. Instead, the physical and mental side effects of my surgery would haunt me for years. When I woke up in the hospital, I was partially blind. I couldn’t read or write. The only number I recognized was eight.

In the aftermath of the operation, I experienced everything like a small child. I had to relearn how to do the simplest of tasks. In my memoir, I captured the unique delight at the simple wonders of life. I also candidly discuss some of the tragic consequences of the surgery and how she found a place of healing in the midst of all the negative news. Now I am officially disabled and partially blind. This hasn’t stopped me though! I wrote a book about my experience hoping it could help other survivors and caregivers on their journey.

I tried to live all this long journey of recovery with a smile on my face and always a positive attitude and hard work in order to recover and allow my therapies to help me recover. Even being disabled, I tried to do some small volunteering jobs to help non profit foundations like the CT Brain Tumor Association, The CT Legally blind and reading to children in public schools.

I was raised in Colombia, went to high school in France, and later moved to the United States. I am trilingual in English, Spanish, and French, Married to my husband Simon Gilbert with a two-year-old Daughter Nicole Gilbert.

I studied business administration at the Universidad de los Andes in Colombia and received my master’s in business administration from IE Business School in Spain. I spent ten years working in high-level marketing jobs for Fortune 500 companies in five different countries. In my spare time, I enjoyed sailing and won several national championships.

For more information visit www.eightmymemoir.com


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

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