Brandy's Medical and Recovery

On July 23 rd Brandy was diagnosed with two brain tumors. They were discovered after an MRI to
diagnose hearing loss in her left ear. She was experiencing symptoms like vertigo, clumsiness, increased
migraines, numb face, phantom smells, losing the sense of taste as well as the hearing loss which started in April. Since that time she has lost all of her hearing
in the left ear. At first, she was told that the problem was due to allergies and to take Flonase and
Zyrtec and that it might take a few months for any fluid to dissipate. On Tuesday, July 18th she went to
see her doctor who determined that there was no fluid in the ear and sent her to an audiologist that
promptly scheduled her with an ENT specialist because there was no nerve response in her left ear. The
ENT sent her for an MRI early Saturday morning and then on Sunday the left side of her face became
droopy and the corner of her lip raised up. She called the advice line and they told her to come in
immediately to see a doctor. Within minutes the ENT doctor called and said she was notified about her
face spasms and informed her that the MRI results were in and they knew why everything was
happening. Brandy has two masses on her brain. According to her doctor, one is probably a result of
having radiation treatment in 1990 for Hodgkin's disease, the other they are not sure of. On August 24th
Redwood City Kaiser Neurosurgery will perform a left sub occipital craniotomy of the acoustic neuroma
to remove the tumor pressing on her 7th and 8th nerve. They have chosen to leave the other tumor and
monitor it as it is in the cerebral fluid and is the size of a hot tamale candy so they will check it every 6 months or
so. Brandy has terrible tinnitus in the nonhearing ear and will probably have a cochlear implant to help
her regain some hearing as well as reduce some of the tinnitus. She has been through a lot in her life
and is strong and will get through this but, as a lot of us know, being a Realtor doesn’t allow for sick
time. She is very worried about covering costs for the upcoming several months of necessary recovery.
I am asking her friends, neighbors and any and all other concerned and generous persons for any
kind of monetary help to her get through this very trying time. As a full-time Realtor, Brandy lives and
pays bills by commission only and unfortunately will not be able to work for some time after the
surgery.