An Unexpected Discovery

The routine MRI revealed something alarming: a schwannoma tumor approximately the size of an avocado pressing dangerously on Barbara’s spinal cord. This dumbbell-shaped growth was not only compressing her spinal cord but had invaded her chest cavity where it was pressing on her aorta and left lung.

Schwannomas are tumors that develop from abnormally divided Schwann cells, which normally cover the nerve cells in the spine. They’re relatively rare, affecting fewer than 200,000 people in the United States annually, and typically grow slowly. Many people live with them for years without experiencing obvious symptoms or even knowing they have one.

“It was a massive growth,” Barbara says. “I knew it had to be removed.”

Finding Expert Care

Taking immediate action, Barbara called her brother, a retired hospital CEO in St. Louis, who recommended Dr. Kojo Hamilton, a neurosurgeon at UPMC Presbyterian and director of UPMC Neurosurgical Spine Services. Dr. Hamilton specializes in complex spine surgery and was clear about Barbara’s situation: without surgery, she risked becoming paralyzed, and the tumor posed a significant threat to her cardiovascular system.

“As soon as I met Dr. Hamilton, I knew I was in the right place,” Barbara says. “It was scary to hear this diagnosis, but I had faith in him as my surgeon. I knew I was in good hands.”

A Complex Surgical Approach

On April 4, 2023, Barbara was admitted to UPMC Presbyterian for extensive testing and presurgery planning. Two days later, she underwent a complex two-stage procedure performed by a surgical team that included Dr. Hamilton and Dr. Nitin Agarwal, director of the Department of Neurological Surgery’s minimally invasive spine and robotic surgery program.

The first stage utilized robotic video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) to release and immobilize the tumor from her chest and spinal cavity. The second stage involved a laminectomy, removing a portion of the vertebrae to access the tumor in the spinal canal. After removing the tumor, the surgeons performed a fusion procedure to stabilize Barbara’s spine with a rod.

The challenging surgery lasted over seven hours, with the goal of removing as much of the tumor as possible to reduce the chance of recurrence and relieve pressure on the nerve root. A subsequent biopsy confirmed the tumor was benign.

Remarkable Recovery

What followed was nothing short of remarkable. “Within days, I was up and walking in my hospital room without a cane or walker,” Barbara recounts. She was discharged just five days after her surgery.

Following six weeks of physical therapy, Barbara was back to enjoying her garden by summer. She’s adapted her gardening technique, sitting on the ground to plant flowers and pull weeds, using a chair to help her get down and back up.

“I was so lucky. I’m very grateful that I’m not paralyzed. And to be able to walk without a cane is just mind boggling,” she says. “I look forward to doing more gardening and traveling in 2024.”

Now 74, Barbara credits her surgical team for their expertise and care. “They knew what they were doing, and they were very thorough,” she says. “I never had any doubt that everything would be OK. I put all my faith in Dr. Hamilton.”

A Lesson in Unexpected Blessings

Barbara’s story reminds us that sometimes what appears to be misfortune can lead to life-changing discoveries. Her accidental fall at a basketball game likely prevented a much worse outcome. By addressing the schwannoma when they did, her medical team at UPMC helped Barbara maintain her mobility and quality of life, turning what could have been a tragic story into one of gratitude and hope.