Most, or all of you who are visiting this site are friends and family of Briana, and so you know her well already, and love her for the wonderul person she is! And you might remember that she worked writing indexes for books for publishing companies, while she volunteered as a regular pioneer, until a few years back, when Briana was diagnosed with a Schwannoma brain tumor.

What you might not know, is how the tumor, its removal, and the after effects of her surgery have affected her and her ability to return to work. Here are some details that explain a bit about her ordeal and some of the challenges that she still confronts each day.

When Briana was diagnosed, she had to go straight to the hospital and the next day she had extensive brain surgery. Since she was building up cerebrospinal fluid they immediately had to put a shunt in her head so the fluids would not keep building up in her brain. The shunt remains in her head today, and will stay there permanently, in order to regulate the fluid in her brain.

For many months after the surgery Briana suffered from extreme headaches and was not able to walk without assistance for 6 months. Although she can walk fine now, she still has difficulties with balance. The headaches remain frequent and painful. Briana also has permanent hearing loss in her right ear.

Sad to say, due to the damage the tumor has done, Briana is unable to do her job as an indexer without getting severe headaches. She is hoping that some years in the future, she will feel well enough to concentrate for long periods of time, so that she can return to indexing.

As you can imagine, it is also difficult for Briana to get a job where she would need to be physically present each work day, since she still feels too sick many days to be able to leave the house.

Although Briana tried to get temporary disability multiple times, she has been denied and now has no source of income. Currently she is totally reliant on her family for financial and physical help. As a 25-year old women she understandably wants to be independent.

One of the ideas that Briana has to bring in some income, without overtaxing herself, is to start her own crafts business. She hopes that having a small business like this that is not too physically demanding or deadline-oriented can allow her to support herself financially. However, without a steady source of income, Briana has been unable to save up enough money to start this business.

Briana also wishes in the future to have a car, become independent, and help pay her medical bills, which are not all covered by insurance. A little help from friends and family could go a long way to making some of these dreams a reality.

Please help our beautiful Briana to get on her feet! And please spread the word!