I have dedicated my career to caring for kids and teens with neurosurgical conditions and have spent more than 20 years treating patients at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta (Children’s). I average more than 400 neurosurgical cases annually and truly consider each patient special. I admire their strength and resiliency, especially those facing the life-changing diagnosis of a brain tumor.
Certain patients do stand out to me for various reasons and I enjoy staying in touch to keep up with what is going on in their lives and their various achievements. I have one patient who I connect with each St. Patrick’s Day, the anniversary of her brain surgery. Coincidentally, she feels luck played a part in her diagnosis.
Holland first became my patient in 2012. A classmate accidentally hit her in the head with a fire door. Her pediatrician advised Holland‘s parents to take her to the Emergency Department (ED) at Children’s Scottish Rite Hospital because she was experiencing symptoms common for a concussion, including headaches and a red-flushed face. Once there, an abnormal area was seen on the routine CT scan, so the ED team ordered an MRI as an extra precaution and to shed more light on the issue.
When the MRI scan came to me, I noticed she had a small mass in her brain. I immediately called Holland’s family and had them come down to my office that night, where I assured her and her parents that Children’s was the best place for her care and that we had a clear plan for treatment.
We monitored the tumor for growth via scans every three months. An active soccer, basketball and volleyball player, Holland had no symptoms from the tumor. For three years, we monitored her tumor without change. In March 2015, her routine scan revealed that it was growing, and I knew it was time to remove it.
On St. Patrick’s Day, Dr. Joshua Chern, Children’s chief of neurosurgery, and I teamed up to remove the tumor during a nine-hour surgery. I remember walking out of the operating room with Chern, both of us smiling, and telling Holland’s parents, “Everything went well; we’re smiling, so you can finally breathe and smile!”
The tumor’s location affected movement on the right side of Holland’s body after surgery. After a short recovery in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, she began intensive therapy in the
Inpatient Rehabilitation Unit to relearn lost motor skills and regain full feeling and function on the right side of her body.
After a month of perseverance, Holland graduated to Day Rehabilitation for further treatment. Eventually, she made a full recovery and was able to return to her active lifestyle, but due to her brain surgery and an increased risk of another concussion, I advised her to avoid contact sports. She found a new outlet for her competitive spirit in cross country and swimming.
Holland shared with me that she feels “lucky” for getting that concussion in 2012, because it likely saved her life. Even though the tumor was benign, when I studied its growth, I felt that if we had not discovered and removed it, she may not have made it to her twenties.
Each year since her surgery, Holland, her family and I reconnect on St. Patrick’s Day. We shifted from family dinners to phone calls while she was in college at Southern Methodist University and after graduation when she lived in Dallas,.
When I learned Holland was moving back to Atlanta last year, I wondered if she would consider working at Children’s. It turns out (or maybe as luck would have it); Holland felt drawn to return to the place that changed her life. She officially joined the Children’s team last summer as a scheduler in the same neurosurgery clinic where she was a patient 11 years ago.
When Holland and I got together for dinner this past St. Patrick’s Day, we were officially colleagues. Recognizing the positive impact her personality and story have on patients with conditions like hers, I suggested Holland try a different role. She is now a Foundation Program Coordinator supporting Children’s Miracle Network.
Some moments may seem like luck or chance, but in truth, they are often something far deeper. Being part of Holland’s journey, especially on that St. Patrick’s Day, is a privilege I will always carry with me. I have witnessed not only good fortune, but courage, resilience and the quiet grace of an extraordinary young lady who has been inspirational to all, including myself. She now shares that inspiration with our patients and their families at Children’s.
Wonderful story Andrew. Thanks for sharing.