Reader Report: Lessons of surviving brain cancer

This post has been corrected, as noted below.

It is not often you hear success stories associated with brain cancer. I am so proud and honored to be able to share such a story with you about a local hero who just happens to be my mother.

Her name is Debbie Albright, and she is a seven-year brain tumor survivor. This past Saturday at Angel Stadium an incredible group of friends joined me in celebrating her journey at the 2014 Orange County Brain Tumor Walk. It was a day that will forever bring a smile to my face and tears of joy to my eyes. In the last two years I have become a full-time caregiver for my mom, and I believe it is my duty to share with others her unbelievably inspiring story.

Seven years ago, when she was 50, Debbie’s brain cancer was diagnosed. She was a scratch golfer, an avid skier, a sport fisherman and lover of all things outdoors. I’m guessing that her home country, New Zealand, inspired her passion for the outdoors.

It was her golf game that first helped us discover her brain tumor. She lost her swing and felt some tingling down her arm. An MRI showed a large, but low-grade, oligoastrocytoma brain tumor. The news was shocking for us all, but if anyone was up for the challenge it was this Kiwi!

The years following her diagnosis included two craniotomies, countless rounds of chemotherapy, radiation and a gamma-knife treatment. Through the trying times she continued to golf, travel and live life to the fullest.

On a cold, crisp Saturday in January 2013, I got a phone call from my dad saying that Mom had been in an accident on the golf course and was at Hoag Hospital in the emergency room. We didn’t realize that one of her craniotomies had left her with a peripheral vision deficit, and she didn’t see the tree into which she crashed her golf cart.

What had started as a normal day playing golf with her girlfriends had ended with a broken neck and traumatic brain injury. She spent three weeks in an acute rehabilitation facility at Mission Hospital, learning to walk again, showing us all what a true champion attitude looks like both on and off the golf course.

As if recovering from the accident was not already enough, a few months later in April, a routine MRI showed a suspicious new area of growth. Hoping we had caught this possible new tumor early, we treated it aggressively with gamma-knife radiation followed by several rounds of chemotherapy.

The treatment left my mom’s immune system very weak, and in November of last year we experienced another devastating and nearly fatal setback. She developed severe pneumonia in both lungs. We got her home from the hospital just in time to enjoy Thanksgiving, and then we were back at Hoag with another curve ball.

This time it was neuropathy, a side effect from the chemotherapy that consists of excruciating pain in her hands and feet. Once we got the pain under control, we were able to bring her home. To say 2013 was not my mom’s best year would be the world’s greatest understatement.

As we welcomed the new year in 2014, our family was hopeful and grateful to have gotten through such trying times. We couldn’t have done so without the unwavering support of all of our dear friends and family. I have been caring full-time for my mom for the past 21 months, and it has been the most life-changing and rewarding experience of my life.

At the beginning of this year, my mom and I found ourselves reflecting on how fortunate our family has been to be able to afford all the various treatments associated with her brain cancer. People don’t always realize how devastating brain tumors and their treatments can be.

From full-time caregiving to sky-high costs of medication, brain cancer can be a huge financial burden. We felt inspired to create a charity that would give back to patients with brain cancer who need financial assistance to cover the costs of daily living. Using my mom’s story as our platform, we created Team Debbie Bands.

We have been selling wristbands that say, “Brain Cancer Messed With The Wrong Chick!” for a suggested donation of $10, donating 100% of the profits to brain cancer patients in need. Although my mom is still in a wheelchair and not able to be nearly as active as she once was, she wakes up each day with a smile and a positive attitude.

She has a little bit extra to smile about these days, as we just learned in June that the area of possible new tumor growth is not cancerous. A side effect of the radiation she received had caused an area of her brain to develop what is known as “radiation necrosis.” Necrosis can be misleading on MRI scans and look like active cancer cells. Fortunately for us there is a type of chemotherapy that can treat and possibly reverse the effects of this necrosis.

When I learned about this year’s OC Brain Tumor Walk at Angel Stadium, I knew I had to rally together “Team Debbie” to celebrate her incredible journey. With an amazing turnout of 45 of her friends, my mom felt like an all-star hitting a home run out of the park.

We raised $2,766 for the National Brain Tumor Society, with the event generating over $135,000. As our team walked around the stadium and down onto the field, we were surrounded by other OC Brain Tumor Walk teams that were honoring loved ones lost and loved ones still fighting.

One profound image that will forever stick in my memory of the day was a dad pushing his daughter’s empty wheelchair. A lump rose in my throat and tears filled my eyes as I looked over at my mom’s wheelchair and saw her beautiful face smiling back at me.

I have been so lucky to be able to walk by my mom’s side, not only for this walk, but also for each and every day. She has given me the most incredible gift by teaching me to live in the present and appreciate all the little things we take for granted. I live each day with more awareness and appreciation for life than I ever thought possible.

It is with joyful tears that I am able sit here today and call my mom a brain-cancer survivor. I know how scary it was to feel like I had almost lost her. My mom has truly redefined what it means to be a survivor. I am so grateful to be able to share her story with you. I hope it inspires you to spend some time today and reflect on how lucky we are to just be alive.

To donate to the Orange County Brain Tumor Walk, please visit . To donate to Team Debbie Bands, please visit teamdebbie.com.

Correction: An earlier version of this post contained the wrong website address for Team Debbie.