The Faces of Brain Tumors
Katie Benner email
Anaplastic Oligodendroglioma
Diagnosed January 5, 2004
Richmond, VA
I never thought that a major medical issue would come up so early in my life. This is the time for the start of my future. I had just gotten married and was looking forward to all the things ahead. I was practicing dentistry until two weeks before being diagnosed with a brain tumor. There were a few signs but nothing that really stood out until the day after Christmas of 2003 when I had a terrible headache. The MRI four days later showed a mass the size of a grapefruit in my right temporal lobe. The tumor had silently grown until my brain could no longer compensate. No one knows how long it had been there or its cause. I am twenty five years old and I am fighting the fight of my life.
After major surgery, six long weeks of daily radiation and chemotherapy, my MRI’s are finally clear. I am in my fourth year of dental school, and the surgery kept me out for eight weeks. Since returning to school, I have not missed a day and will graduate on time and with honors. I have made it through all of this because of my faith, positive attitude and knowing that I have so much left to do and my cancer is not going to win.
I have been given so many blessings from my diagnosis. I have had the support of my wonderful family without whom I could not have made it this far. I am lucky that I am young and healthy. My body was able to tolerate the aggressive radiation combined with chemotherapy. I am lucky that my tumor was operable. For many patients, surgery is not an option or it leaves them with severe handicaps. I am lucky that I have been able to continue to do everyday what I love to do and that is to treat and care for my patients.
This is not to say that my treatment for my brain tumor has been easy. It has tested every bit of strength that I have. It has forced my family to stay by me even when it was so very hard to bear. I am twenty five. I should be finishing dental school, buying a home and starting a family. This terrible disease may have taken away my chance of ever having my own child. Imagine if your daughter had so much to handle at such a young age.
The treatment I receive comes from research. The research that you support is going to be the answer to my questions of why, how and when will it be gone for good. It will one day end this terrible disease. It will provide early detection so that my tumor would have been found long before it reached such an enormous size.
You have the ability to help people like me by supporting funding for research and care. There are so many things for you to consider, but please consider this- 100% of patients die due to complications from their brain tumors. I could be your daughter. It can happen to anyone.
Brain tumor research is vital. The cause is unknown and there is no cure.