What My Brain Couldn't Tell Me

What My Brain Couldn’t Tell Me         As of October 26, 1996, my life changed forevermore. On that afternoon, my neurologist told me that I had a massive brain tumor and had to undergo surgery immediately. For the next six hours, I had test after test pin pointing exactly where my tumor was and wasn’t. This helped the doctor decide where he was going to enter and how he was going to maneuver inside my brain. In order to do this, I had six different MRI’s, four different CT scans, and three EEG’s done before the hour I was to go under for my very invasive surgery. I had very little time to prepare for this, my surgeon, Dr. Bud, briefed my family and I as to what was going to happen, how he was going to go in, and of all the side effects that would I would experience after the surgery.

        He told us my tumor originated in the frontal lobe of my brain and that it has grown back into the parietal lobe. He explained that my tumor had grown so large that it was encompassing my entire center of my brain, not allowing my hydrosyphilias to drain properly. Because of this, my doctor told us that they would have to separate my corpus callosum in order to reach the tumor. I, at age fifteen, didn’t have any idea what a corpus callosum was, therefore was quite confused. My doctor informed us of the risks of such an invasive surgery. The risks seemed endless to me. Because they did have to separate my corpus callosum to reach my tumor, I could have ended up a vegetable, never talking or walking again.

        After ten long hours grueling of surgery, it was over. I stayed in a comatose state for...