Jennifer Castro's Brain Surgery

Hi, my name is Kristy Castro and am fundraising for my younger sister, Jennifer Castro. After going in for a routine eye exam, her doctor found an extreme amount of pressure on the optic nerve on her right side. He believed Jennifer was experiencing papilledema and immediately scheduled an MRI for that evening with Hoag hospital due to vision implications & risk of seizures.

Results revealed that Jennifer had a tumor slightly larger than an egg growing on the parietal lobe on the right side of her brain. She was admitted immediately and scheduled to meet with a neurologist and neurosurgeon. She met with an amazing team of doctors who were confident about the success of the removal and believed her tumor to be meningioma and benign. Due to the size of the tumor, doctors ruled out radiation treatment and scheduled brain surgery for the following day and placed her on anti-seizure medication and a CT scan of her chest, stomach and pelvis. Scans came back clear and no other signs of any tumors.

After a 2-hour surgery, the neurosurgeon successfully removed her tumor which was much larger than they had originally expected. Jennifer was awake, talking an hour after her surgery and spent the night in ICU. She was released 2 days post-surgery with many restrictions with the biggest ones of not being able to drive, bend down or walk her beloved dogs-Max and Milo. Although she is lucky to have great medical benefits, the money we can raise will provide some relief as she will still be faced with large hospital bills, boarding for her dogs, and the ability to take time off work to focus on recovery and rehabilitation. Thank your kindness, love, and generosity displayed for Jennifer.