Hope Stories

 

When disease strikes the brain or spine, patients and their families may experience fear, anxiety, and uncertainty about the future.  Over the years I've come to realize that hope dispels fear.  Creating a plan of treatment and a patient's faith are both sources of hope.  When a patient has a treatment plan that he believes will succeed, he is willing to face a difficult situation without fear.  Likewise, a patient with faith pursues treatment despite facing a seemingly hopeless situation.  My experiences with my patients have been powerful sources of inspiration for me and have guided me over the years.  My patients’ stories are life experiences that have enriched my life personally.  I would like to share some stories with you by presenting challenging neurological cases, some with miraculous outcomes, others with solutions that create hope for success in treatment.  Some details and the names have been altered to protect patient confidentiality and to fit the constraints of this presentation.  Please remember that every patient is unique and that results of neurosurgery are not always the same.

• Case 1 : Ruptured intracranial aneurysm

• Case 2 : Spinal Cord Tumor

• Case 3 : Acoustic neuroma