I can see clearly now....

About 5 years ago I was driving my Olds '98 on the freeway home from visiting my Mom in the nursing home, when suddenly everything became incredibly blurry, and as I blinked my vision snapped into 2 equal images! There were multiple freeway lanes in front of me, I was driving 70 mph, and had my baby in the backseat. I tried to stay calm, although I had no idea what was happening and was already deaf as well. Luckily I had JT's biological father with me and when I started crying he realized I was not kidding and we carefully maneuvered off the freeway. We immediately pulled over and I was hysterical, I could not focus on anything without seeing two images overlaying each other diagonally. As soon as my Dad came and rescued me we called Dr. Duma, my neurologist. A look at my most recent MRI showed that I had a tumor near my optic nerve, or on it, I actually do not specifically remember. For several days I stayed home, unable to read or drive, terrified I was going to be both hearing and vision impaired for the rest of my life, and single with a tiny baby. Dr. Duma recommended Gamma Knife, an acute radiation therapy which utilizes multiple beams of Gamma Rays pinpointed to meet right inside of the tumor target. While it was wonderful that I could avoid traditional brain surgery, which would not even be an option in this area anyway, it also meant having the head frame bolted to my head in 4 places for an entire morning. I left JT with a sitter and went for the treatment with my Dad and Tish. This was not my first Gamma Knife treatment, and I did my best to get through it uneventfully. Within a very short period of time my double vision decreased slightly, and I was able to correct it with prismatic glasses. During a follow up MRI the tumor showed necrosis, meaning it was suffering from cell death at its core. Eventually my double vision became only a slight nuisance, I only wore my glasses when I was tired and my eyes began to strain. Today I visited the optometrist and was told my double vision is gone! My eyes are working together again, and I have no need for prismatic glasses! It was a long journey to where I am, and I am excited that technology has progressed so far that a person with nerve damage from NF2 may be able to utilize laser technology rather than be subject to repeated invasive surgery.

Now imagine what may come with full access to stem cell research! Hey I'm in a good mood so let's do a GIVEAWAY!

The first 3 people to leave a comment on this post will receive a gift (possibly handmade) from me during this year. When and what will be a surprise. There's a small catch though...post this same thing on your own blog and then come back and leave a comment telling me you're in, along with a link!

Remember, only the first 3 comments receive the gift!
Thanks Pris for posting this, no tag backs!