Personal Narrative: I Am A Brain Tumor Survivor

I am a sister. I am a dreamer. I am a brain tumor survivor. I am Lauryn

I never imagined that life would lunge the biggest curveball towards me. October 24th, 2011 is a day that will haunt me for the rest of my life. During the mid year of 2011 I observed that coffee colored spots were appearing on my body and I noticed that my headaches were extremely painful. I would always complain to my mother about these observations but since I am known in my family to be a “drama queen”, my mother refused to believe me. The day before the 24th I was in severe pain in my head and back. I explained to my mother how much pain I was in. She accompanied me to the hospital the next morning. I arrived in the emergency room believing I had the flu or something of the caliber however once the doctor recorded my symptoms I knew this was beyond having flu. The doctor ordered a CT scan for me and about 15 minutes after the scan the doctor asked to speak to my mother privately. At this point my brain started racing what could possibly be wrong? Maybe they found something? My mind went blank when my mother entered the room
After looking at the images from my CT scan he wanted to put in a ventriculoperitoneal shunt, which basically is a big word for a giant straw that reduces the amount of water in my brain. He did so the next morning. A couple of hours after the surgery he finally had a diagnosis for me, he diagnosed me with genetic mutation called Neurofibromas type 2. I had no idea as to what this condition was so naturally I googled it and was petrified by what came up in the results.. Surgery day came sooner than expected and I was frightened because I was aware of all the drastic changes that came along with having a risky operation. My surgery lasted about thirteen hours and the doctors were not even sure that I would make it out