Sara's Strength: Overcoming a Brain Tumor

On Friday afternoon, June 28th, Sara went in for an eye exam because she noticed black spots in her vision every time she exerted herself, whether working out with weights or doing anything strenuous. During the exam, the eye doctor noticed that her optic nerve was enlarged and told us we needed to rush Sara to the emergency room immediately. Never in our wildest dreams did we imagine there was a brain tumor lurking in the middle of Sara’s head.

Nonetheless, this began the lengthy process of diagnosing and, thankfully, removing most of what turned out to be a golf ball-sized tumor in the middle of Sara's brain. What better news could you get at 25, right?

On Tuesday, July 2nd, we met with our neurosurgeon, Dr. Kulwin at Goodman & Campbell, to discuss the procedure, potential complications, and recovery process—all the essential details you need to know before someone operates on your brain.

Dr. Kulwin confirmed that Sara had a condition called Central Neurocytoma. According to the National Institutes of Health, there are typically only about 100 cases worldwide each year, most of which occur in young adults.

Surgery was scheduled for 8:00 AM on July 11th and was expected to last 3-4 hours.

Fast forward: Dr. Kulwin and his team successfully removed most of the tumor in Sara's midbrain without affecting critical structures (Praise God!). This was followed by a 2-night stay in the Intensive Care Unit and 3 nights on the general hospital floor.

Sara's recovery journey will be lengthy, involving several weeks of Physical and Occupational Therapy before she can return to work at Bloomerang (she’s already excited to go back!). As I write this on Sunday afternoon, July 21st, Sara is getting stronger each day. We’re beyond thankful for that. We’re thankful to God through our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ that she is alive and recovering. We’re grateful that our story does not end here and continues by His grace.

We couldn't have made it this far without the help and support of friends, family, Sara's colleagues at Bloomerang, The EDGE Mentoring Community (Kristen Campbell & my mentor John Meyer are the GOATs!), Northview Church Binford's campus, and so many more faithful individuals who have chosen to partner with us on this journey.

A special thank you to Anna & David Simpson, Katie & Alan Housman, Jack Qian & Lu, Olivia & Jacob Baldwin, Sam & Kashi Wallace, Katie & Joseph Chow, Sung Kim, Amanda Smith, Stephen Susman, Jed Lee, Coach Ross, Drew Sezonov, Mike Maloney, Mark Banas, Madi Mckeogh, Bennett Clarke, Luke Holland, Tony & Micelle Badolato, Rita, Sheridan, Kelly & Andy Bilen, Suzie Schrock, Tammi St. Angelo, Kraig Kinchen and Andre Givens.

A GoFundMe campaign has been set up to help cover the expenses associated with the nights in the hospital, the craniotomy, and post-surgery recovery.

If you've read this far, we want you to know that we are deeply thankful for your support as we embark on this chapter of God's story for us.

Soli Deo Gloria –

The Salako's