I was in my first year of college in North Carolina. I majored in Medical Assisting. I started limping and having numbness in my arm. I was living with my mother and three siblings. I relied on my mother to help me with medical trips. It took a while before we could arrange for me to see a doctor. When I learned that I would need surgery for something in my brain, I was devastated. I had a hard time focusing on my studies while I worried about my own health.

It seemed to take forever to get an appointment to UNC (University of North Carolina Chapel Hill). My mentor took me to my pre-surgery meeting with my doctor. I was terrified to be placed under anesthesia and have my head cut open. The prep for surgery was weird and I was stressed about my hair being shaved. Except I was really stressed about dying. I was angry that this was happening to me. I was supposed to be the first to finish college in my family.

My mentor and mother took me to the hospital. I would like to say I was brave, because they told me my tumor was benign. I was also aware that I could go blind, lose my hearing and be crippled or even die. There is nothing scarier than giving yourself over to be put to sleep and not knowing if you would wake up.

When I woke up the pain was terrible. However, I knew I was going to be fine. At least I thought so.

I returned to school and worked hard to graduate in Medical Assisting. I married, I was driving and looking forward to a new beginning. Unfortunately, I started having seizures that scared me and my husband. I couldn’t drive to my job anymore and I was told I needed another surgery. Okay, this would just be a quick fix on the last surgery. I cannot explain how difficult it was to go back into the hospital and leave my son. My hair was the least of my concerns this time.


The surgery was back at UNC in North Carolina.

After that surgery I became pregnant and we were blessed with a huge baby boy. Being a mother became a dream come true. My first years with my son became more and more difficult as my health declined again with auras that made it difficult to see, hearing loss and horrible headaches. Now, I could not see well, I could not hear out of my right ear and my auras came more frequent with migraine headaches. I could not drive, work or read. I was angry that I had to still deal with something I did not create.

Once again, I am faced with surgery, except this time I am at Yale and everyone keeps telling me how fortunate I am to have the best surgeon possible. My son is in preschool and he is at a critical age in his development. It doesn’t seem fair to him that I am going through this. Once again, I am consumed with the fear that I would die or be worse off with the new surgery.

I would not be here today with a chance to see my son grow up and perhaps have another child. I am grateful that I had the best surgeon Dr. Moliterno! If I had her as my surgeon the first time and the second time, I would not have been suffering so long. I also am grateful for my mom, who helped me with post op care. I am grateful for my mentor who listens to me and has been supporting me since I was nine-years-old. I am grateful for a husband that loves me and my boy.