Krista

I was 18 when I was diagnosed with a clival chordoma. At the same time, I also found out I was pregnant with my oldest child. I was just out of high school, a year previously my dad had a stroke by a brain aneurysm, so I was hit hard by the news.

I got lucky in finding my neurosurgeon on first task. Of course I got other options but all of them lead back to my original.

It seemed like years waiting to have my son, I was nervous and broke down a lot. It eventually set me in depression. But the neurosurgeon and my ob-gyn kept in contact with each other when I had appointments with one of them. Always each one was updated. After my son was born healthy, my neurosurgeon was notified and he congratulated me, and informed me to call and get an appointment within the next couple weeks to start the process.

As we did I was thankful my son gave me a reason to fight and so much love. I had family support all around but a baby made it different. It really was back to back surgeries 6 weeks in between my son and my first surgery and then 6 weeks after my first surgery to my second, but the news when I woke up that they successfully removed the tumor 100%, I cried as I held my baby boy.

This year will mark year 12. I still have the same neurosurgeon. Our visits are short and sweet, he loves seeing the progress of my son and now my two daughters. Not only did he treat me patient-wise, he treated me like family and seen and knew I was going through a difficult time and took me under his wing. It has all given me new perspectives.