Help with Haley's Brain Tumor Removal & Recovery

Hey all! My name is Amanda and I am helping my sister, Haley Constine, raise funds to pay for expenses accrued from emergency surgery to remove a tennis ball-sized brain tumor.

How we found out

On Monday, May 16th, Haley was playing beach volleyball with some friends when she suffered from a seizure. Her right arm seized up, she collapsed, and lost consciousness for about 3 minutes. She has never had a seizure before and was rushed to the ER.

Once she arrived at Mercy Health, several tests were done, all of which returned okay. This meant there was one last thing to check - her brain. Upon completing a CT scan, the doctors discovered she had a Meningioma tumor across the top of her head, affecting both the left and right sides of her brain. This was confirmed with an MRI that also determined the tumor was about the size of a tennis ball and has probably been growing for about 15 years!

Ok...a tumor. Now what?

Haley was initially told she would probably undergo surgery to remove the tumor by the end of the week. However, due to the tumor's location, they decided to do another scan to determine if the tumor was affecting any of her blood vessels. As it turns out, the tumor was wrapped around several vessels that affect her legs. Any disruption to those vessels could cause paralysis in one or both of her legs. Therefore, it was decided to send her to St. Mary's Hauenstein Neuroscience Center, where a vascular neurosurgeon could take on her case and perform the surgery.

The good news!

Dr. Figueroa is the vascular neurosurgeon who took on Haley's case. He stated that she was in the right place at the right time. It is our understanding that he had access to some new technology that the board gave him special permission to use during her surgery. This new tech helped him perform the 8-hour-long operation and he was able to remove the entire tumor! We are still awaiting pathology results, but this type of tumor is generally non-cancerous, so we are very hopeful.

Recovery & Rehab

After her operation, Haley found that many of her motor skills were compromised. Due to the nature of the operation, she awoke with extreme weakness and impaired motor skills. She is having major issues with her left leg. While she has feeling in her leg, she is unable to move it. This is causing her to have what is called a "drop foot." So far, some of Haley's fine motor skills have returned and her speech has improved, but she still has a long road to recovery ahead of her. She has been transferred to Mary Free Bed, a rehab facility, where she will undergo intense rehabilitation to help her with the use of her legs and feet, and in the coming days, she will get a brace for her leg to help her with the "drop foot." She will most likely be in rehab for a minimum of 2 weeks, but that could change based on how her recovery progresses.

Why we need your help

Haley is a single mother to her son, Jac. She has worked hard to be able to support her and her family to provide Jac the life he deserves, but the time off from work and added medical expenses make it challenging. As many of you know, Jac also has a health condition with his heart and had to undergo open-heart surgery when he was about 1 year old. Haley does not live close to any of her immediate family (most of whom live a 2-hour drive away) except for her ex-husband, Chris, who has been extremely helpful and supportive during this difficult time. This will make it hard for her to get around town for general errands unless Chris or a friend is available to drive her around.

Where will your donation go?

Haley is able to receive short-term disability, but that will only provide her with 60% of her current pay. Additionally, she will be under a number of restrictions when she is released from rehab, such as not being able to drive for up to 6 months because she had a seizure. The money received in this fundraiser will help with a number of things such as (but not limited to)

We greatly appreciate everyone's love and support at this time. Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions!