{"id":303403,"date":"2026-05-21T19:54:08","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T19:54:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/303403\/"},"modified":"2026-05-21T19:54:08","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T19:54:08","slug":"from-caregiver-to-schwannoma-survivor-why-im-sharing-my-story","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/303403\/","title":{"rendered":"From caregiver to schwannoma survivor: Why I\u2019m sharing my story"},"content":{"rendered":"

My late husband, Tom, received treatment\u00a0for\u00a0kidney\u00a0cancer<\/a>\u00a0at UT MD Anderson for several years before passing away in 2007. So, when I joined UT MD Anderson as a senior communications specialist in 2008, I decided to share my perspective here on\u00a0Cancerwise<\/a>\u00a0in a series of blog posts.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Those blog posts detailed what it was like to support a loved one with a cancer diagnosis<\/a>. Recently, though, I found myself on the other side of that equation. Here\u2019s how I became a patient at UT MD Anderson, and why I\u2019m sharing my own experiences again now.\u00a0<\/p>\n

My schwannoma\u00a0symptoms<\/p>\n

Two weeks after completing the 2018 Houston Half Marathon, I was taking a short walk outside my office building. Suddenly, my right leg gave out. It was startling, but nothing seemed to be wrong with me. I\u2019d caught myself before hitting the pavement. So, I didn\u2019t give it too much thought.<\/p>\n

Gradually, though, I began to experience back pain that radiated down my right leg. \u201cOh, that\u2019s just sciatica,\u201d a friend told me.\u00a0<\/p>\n

I accepted her explanation, assuming the wear and tear my body had endured from years of carrying around heavy equipment as a television news photographer had finally caught up with me. But soon, standing during choir rehearsals \u2014 or even standing up to put on my makeup \u2014 caused an unusual tightness in my back. Sometimes, it turned into excruciating pain.\u00a0<\/p>\n

I started seeing a physical therapist, but those sessions gave me only temporary relief. Eventually, I\u00a0just\u00a0accepted\u00a0the\u00a0pain<\/a>\u00a0and carried on with my life.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

A\u00a0self-referral to\u00a0UT\u00a0MD Anderson<\/p>\n

The following year, I decided I wanted answers. I saw a sports medicine specialist and had X-rays taken. Those scans revealed an abnormal growth on my lower back, between the L3 and L4 vertebrae.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The specialist seemed certain it wasn\u2019t cancer<\/a>. That was a relief. But just to be sure, I scheduled an appointment with Claudio Tatsui, M.D.<\/a>, a neurosurgeon here at UT MD Anderson.\u00a0<\/p>\n

After completing his own examination, Dr. Tatsui agreed that the growth could be a schwannoma, a type of benign<\/a> tumor that grows within the nerve sheath cells that normally insulate and protect the nerves. As the lesion was relatively small and I had normal strength and sensation in my right leg, he initially recommended periodic MRIs to keep close tabs on it.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Judy Overton poses with Claudio Tatsui, M.D., (left) and Robert North, M.D., Ph.D.<\/p>\n

My schwannoma treatment\u00a0<\/p>\n

I\u2019ll\u00a0admit it: I\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0like\u00a0MRIs<\/a>.\u00a0So, I only got three or four of them every six months before I stopped. I could still feel some tension in my right leg, but the scans showed no change in the tumor. I resigned myself to living with it.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Five years later, I had a separate health issue that resulted in an overnight stay at another local hospital. An MRI taken there showed the tumor had doubled in size. That spooked me. I scheduled another appointment with Dr. Tatsui right away.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Dr. Tatsui said the tumor was now growing and could compress the other spinal nerves, resulting in neurological deficits. He recommended surgical resection. I was concerned about the possibility of permanent nerve damage, but after talking it over, we agreed that surgery was the best option.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Dr.\u00a0Tatsui\u00a0and\u00a0his colleague,\u00a0neurosurgeon\u00a0Robert North, M.D., Ph.D.<\/a>, who specializes in removing tumors from in and around peripheral nerves, including schwannomas, performed my surgery on Jan. 30, 2026.\u00a0<\/p>\n

I really appreciated their warmth and their expertise. Both are not only exceptional surgeons but also excellent communicators. Whenever I spoke, I always had their undivided attention.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Moving\u00a0forward\u00a0with hope<\/p>\n

Today, I still have a little residual numbness around my right kneecap. But I can walk just fine. And, both Dr. Tatsui and Dr. North expect a full recovery.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Looking back, I know we made the right decision. In the four months leading up to my surgery, the tumor grew another half an inch.\u00a0<\/p>\n

I am telling my story here now because of the unusual nature of the tumor. If it informs or reassures even one person, then sharing it here was well worth it.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Judy Overton is a program manager in Patient Experience at\u00a0UT MD Anderson.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Request an appointment at\u00a0UT\u00a0MD Anderson\u00a0online<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0call 1-877-632-6789.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"My late husband, Tom, received treatment\u00a0for\u00a0kidney\u00a0cancer\u00a0at UT MD Anderson for several years before passing away in 2007. So,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":303404,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[78480,1145,1142,56,58,57,75671,1148,9122,2822],"class_list":["post-303403","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-houston","tag-brain-and-spine","tag-caregivers","tag-family-friends","tag-houston","tag-houston-headlines","tag-houston-news","tag-patient-caregiver-stories","tag-patients","tag-surgery","tag-survivors"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/303403","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=303403"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/303403\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/303404"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=303403"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=303403"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=303403"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}