Young Mother Needs Help With Rare Brain Tumor

On May 20, 2021, three weeks after Mary Annibale (33) and her husband, Nick, welcomed their second son, Mary was stricken by a debilitating headache that sent her to the emergency room. She was diagnosed with Obstructive Hydrocephalus. In the following weeks, Mary was separated from her infant son and four year old as she underwent two brain surgeries and received a devastating prognosis. The second brain surgery led to the diagnosis of a Thalamic Astrocytoma. The location of the tumor makes surgical removal extremely difficult, some even say impossible. 

Mary has now been forced to step away from her career as an Occupational Therapist. She has devoted her life to serving others, providing therapy for patients with Parkinson’s, patients recovering from strokes, and even those with brain tumors much like her own. Most recently, Mary served children in the Highland Local School District in Medina, Ohio. 

Nick and Mary have called Medina home all of their lives. They both attended Highland Local Schools and after attending The Ohio State University and grad school at Gannon University, they returned home with hope for their children to do the same. Mary is a devout Christian who shares the goodness of God as a Worship Leader, blessed with a beautiful singing voice, at Northside Christian Church.