Jean H.

Jean H. remembers very little about the year and a half when a brain tumor hijacked her personality, her memory and her life. There was a month when she wore every piece of clean clothing she had without ever doing a load of laundry. As her husband Rick recounts the events, Jean is hearing much of it for the first time.

The tumor had likely been there for years, but it was early 2024 when Rick began to notice changes in his wife’s personality and daily habits – little things like messing up the checkbook, lots of headaches, and her signature homemade chili that fell drastically short. Jean had lost her reasoning skills, her sense of humor, her desire and ability to socialize, and much of her executive function – the mental skills that help us plan, focus, manage time, make decisions and carry out daily tasks. She was sleeping a lot, one day spending 19 hours in bed. Suddenly, the division of duties the couple had long shared fell squarely on Rick – both at home and at the business they had built together, Horsch Trailer Sales.

Months later, with no credible diagnosis, they began seeing a psychiatrist and Jean was treated for depression. “Every symptom she displayed pointed to depression,” said Rick, “but the psychiatrist we were seeing said something is wrong.” In fall of 2024, at the urging of the psychiatrist, Rick decided to pursue a brain MRI, and while driving home from the procedure, the primary care doctor called and said, “Get to the hospital now.” The imaging had revealed an 8 cm tumor that was arising from the base of the skull, suspected to be meningioma.

Neurosurgeon Dr. Zsolt Zador was called in to diagnose the tumor; he confirmed an Olfactory Groove Meningioma pressing against the frontal lobe of the skull base. “The frontal lobe determines the tone of an individual’s personality,” said Dr. Zador, “their humor and inhibition, whether they are polite or rude, and their awareness of those around them. It’s like a flashlight into the soul.” This type of tumor can turn a patient’s life upside down, often resulting in impulsive decisions like divorce, marriage and other sweeping changes. It mimics more common problems such as dementia, stroke and depression and is therefore difficult to diagnose.

Dr. Zador worked with Jean and her husband to create a surgical plan. “A meningioma is generally slow growing; it can grow 1-2 mm per year or not at all. Only rarely do they show aggressive tendencies and grow rapidly. It can displace the brain and can encase vessels and nerves, making the surgery very risky,” explained Dr. Zador. A tumor of this nature is often very firm and sometimes calcified, or stuck to important parts of the brain, requiring meticulous microsurgery.

With a treatment plan under way and a surgery date on the calendar, they spent Thanksgiving with Jean’s family knowing the uncertainties of the surgery and pondering what the future would bring. As the date approached, Jean had stopped eating and drinking, and doctors admitted her to the hospital to restore her hydration before surgery.

On Dec. 6, 2024, Jean had a 10-hour surgery with Dr. Zador and his medical team to remove the tumor. She wasn’t expected to wake up until the next day, but she surprised everyone by waking up that night. She went home on Dec. 20 and Jean spent the holidays doing the prescribed stretches and exercises. When the home health team saw her in January, they signed off on her progress and told her to continue. Following a series of evaluative tests for her vision and thought processes, she started driving in February.

Months following the surgery, Jean continues to recover. She still has a few short-term memory issues. The tumor had pressed against her sinuses, so her sense of smell is gone forever – a relatively small price to pay for the mass that resided in her brain for many years. And while Rick had been researching care facilities before the surgery, he is happy to report that their new normal is much better than he once imagined. In retrospect, Rick is thankful that he pushed for the MRI.

“I wanted to find out if the problem was mental or medical,” he said. “If we hadn’t gotten the MRI, we never would have found the tumor.” Dr. Zador was thorough in explaining what they could expect and outlining possible outcomes, and they are grateful they ended up with the best-case scenario.

For Dr. Zador, the biggest reward is that Jean has returned to her life, is happily retired and living a fulfilling life. “We were able to remove all of the tumor,” he said. “The chance of recurrence is low, and in that case, we have options to get it under control.”

Now retired, Jean is crafting and spending time with her children and grandchildren. She has also resumed her household duties so Rick can focus his time on Horsch Trailer Sales.

“I can drive my son to school, and I can drive back and forth to Kansas City and visit my kids,” said Jean. “Dr. Zador gave that back to me and for that I am eternally grateful.”