In January of 2015, I was diagnosed with a 2 cm acoustic neuroma on the left side of my brain. What I thought had been symptoms of a sinus infection turned out to be a tumor! After meeting with Dr. Ravi Samy at UC Otolaryngology, it was decided the best treatment would be surgery to remove the benign tumor. 

In April of 2015, I underwent an 8+ hour surgery. The tumor was fully removed, but I lost all hearing ability in my left ear as a result. After 4 days in the hospital, I headed home to start my recovery journey "back" to my new normal. 

I'm very thankful to say that four years later, I am about as back to normal as I could have hoped to be. While I do suffer from side effects such as migraines, headaches, tinnitus and some balance issues, the knowledge and care of the team at UC has helped me get back on my feet (literally!) and be able to enjoy the activities I did before surgery. I couldn't have asked for a better team to help educate & treat me! This is why I Walk Ahead!