Hi my name is Sue and I had a massive intracranial brain tumor removed and survived
I would like to hear from fellow survivors
This is my picture
...
...and this is my story
My name is Susan Lynne O'Connor and I am a forty-year old woman from Ontario who survived the removal of a massive brain tumor.
Eight years ago on February 20, 1995 when I was thirty-two years old (after years of having severe headaches) a doctor at a Scarborough Hospital in Toronto, Canada ordered a CT scan and found a highly vascular tumor in the left deep hemisphere in my brain. It was being supplied by enlarged branches arising from the left anterior artery, and also the medial and lateral branches of the posterior choroidal artery arising from the posterior cerebral artery on the left side. A midline shift was also seen to the right. It appears to have had smooth margins and contains tiny specks of calcifications. It had the classic appearance of a high vascular plexus meningioma. There was evidence of displacement of adjacent vascular structures. There were signs of tentorial herniation, as there was depression of the posterior communicating artery on the left side.
**The tumor was massive it had a total length of around 10 cm and a depth of 6 cm.
On February 20,1995 I was admitted immediately to The Wellesley Hospital where I met
Dr. Richard Perrin, a well-known neurosurgeon. After he spent a week of careful planning and putting a surgical team together, Dr. Perrin was ready to perform the delicate craniotomy and removal of my massive brain tumor. The surgery took place on February 28, 1995 and lasted around 8 hours. Complete removal of the tumor was a success.
These are the remarks of a CT scan done after the brain surgery:
"The patient has had fairly extensive surgery and a left parietal occipital flap is present. The large interventricular meningioma previously documented has been totally resected. There are some changes in the left parieto-occipital region, which are in keeping with recent surgery".
Dr. Richard Perrin
is amazing because he saved my life. Anyone with a brain tumor of this size should not have survived or even at least be able to function normally. Nobody could ever tell by looking at me that I ever had a brain tumor. I thank Dr. Perrin for giving me a second chance at life.
Dr. Perrin and me... January 7, 2003
Although this procedure was successful, I was left legally blind. As well, because of the scar tissue left in my brain from the surgery, I have the tendency to have seizures so I have to take seizure medications for life. I also lost the ability to speak at a clear and normal pace for about 1 year but with constant work and practice I slowly regained my ability to speak at a faster pace so that people can now understand me a lot easier. *Now everyone thinks I talk too much (I don't know if this is a good or bad thing?).
Even though I had to overcome the challenges of losing my eyesight and learning how to communicate with others again, I still attended College and received my Diploma in Human Services. I am now a Counsellor in helping people with drug addictions. I also received my certificate in teaching Life Skills and for the past 5 years, I have been volunteering with helping others who are in need.
My message to others is never give up hope. No matter what your situation is and how bad it may look: with determination, hope and a positive out look on life I feel that anyone can accomplish their goals. Never give up.
Anyone that has gone through a similar situation as myself and would like to discuss their situation with me or if you have any questions for me please feel free to e-mail me at
soconnor@email.com
Thank-You for taking the time to read my story and I hope I have or can be of help to anyone who may be going through a similar situation as myself.
