Brain Tumor Diagnosis
In September I was diagnosed with a vestibular schwannoma, also known as an acoustic neuroma. It is a brain tumor that is non-cancerous 99% of the time. While I am thankful that it is most likely non-cancerous, my tumor is large(3.2cm) and will require surgical intervention. This doesn't come without risks. On January 13th, they will use an approach called retrosigmoid craniectomy to attack this tumor and remove as much as possible. It will be a team of surgeons and will likely be an 8+ hour surgery. It is pretty much a given that I will lose all hearing on my right side. As a professional musician, you can imagine that will be a major adjustment for me. They will also sever the right balance nerve during this surgery which will take some time to get used to. There are smaller risks, which include facial paralysis, as well as changes to my voice, and those are around 25%. So my reasoning for this post is to ask for your prayers as I continue on ...