So, for some of you who read this you already know the story. But for those of you just joining the journey I am going to tell you how "Timmy" came to be and what is going on thus far. It was October 8, 2011. I had just dropped off my 21 year old cat at the vet and I was on my way to have breakfast with my Dad. Just two blocks from my destination I reached down to get something out of my purse...milliseconds passed. Before I had time to react or hit the breaks, I was shoved 50 feet into the on coming lanes of A1A just having experienced the worst accident I had ever been involved in. Up to this point in my life, I had never had so much as a stitch or broken bone! But, here I was, sprawled over my passenger seat, I had hit the rear view mirror and windshield following...blood began gushing out of my head. Needless to say, I stayed completely calm...almost dictating the scene by informing those who stopped to help to call an ambulance and then someone to call my Dad. I wouldn't be going to breakfast with him after all. I was taken by ambulance to Baptist Hospital at the Beaches to have some imaging done due to the head trauma. Soon enough, my totaled car and the 18 stitches I had in my forehead would be the least of my concern. The emergency room doctor entered the room, surrounded by my entourage of family, and began to explain that an abnormality was found on my brain. Having determined it was not caused by the car accident they sent me to Baptist Hospital Downtown for more testing. It was in those next 2 1/2 days I would learn that I had a brain tumor. Multiple doctors, neurologists, nurses, tests of all kind later I was released to go home with an appointment set up to see a neurosurgeon. Ultimately I would have to schedule a biopsy to determine just what kind of tumor was in this ol' brain of mine. So I did, November 22, 2011 was the day. I was put under anesthesia and Dr. Chandler drilled a hole in my head and took a sample of tissue from the tumor to test. Weeks passed and I grew more and more uneasy waiting to hear about the results of the biopsy. On December 7, 2011 the results were in and my mother, father and step father all gathered into a tiny doctors office. Dr. Chandler entered the room and escorted us instead to a conference room. I was diagnosed with a fairly common, yet uncommon type of brain tumor. Medically speaking it is called a low grade glioma. Scientifically speaking, it is referred to as a Diffuse Astrocytoma Grade II. Throughout all the information that was given on that day, two things stood out before I went numb: treatment options (surgery to remove, chemotherapy/radiation, or wait and watch), and life expectancy. Wait, there is a life expectancy with my brain tumor? Awesome. Dr. Chandler explained that most people with this type of tumor will live five years, some will live 10 years, and not all will live 15 years. What? 15 years? But I'm only 26 years old. Exactly. And yet the only thing I kept telling myself was not to cry in front of my parents and that I had to go back to work. This couldn't interrupt my life, not now...how could it? I have too much to do and I'll be damned if something like this would stand in my way. So that's what I did. I went back to work after that morning appointment. I didn't know how to react. I calmly told my closest friends, co-workers and other family members waiting to hear the news, my voice steady and unwavering. I knew if I could sound or look like I was okay, then surely they could believe it.
To be continued...
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