Acoustic Neuroma Association
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Acoustic Neuroma Patient Stories

Read stories from the ANA community and share your own acoustic neuroma story to help inspire others.

Gamma Knife in Serbia

By Maja Samardzic-Lukic

I am from a beautiful, small European country - Serbia. I am a physician by profession, specializing in pediatric nephrology. Dedicated to my daily work and always caught up in a busy schedule, I could never have imagined that everything would come to a sudden halt due to my own illness.

My CyberKnife Story: A Scientific Marvel Akin to Star Wars

By Laura Fay

In early 2019, I was in my home office when I answered a phone call. I drew the phone to my right ear, but the voice was so faint it was inaudible. The volume was at max. I switched the phone to my left ear, and the voice came through loud and clear. Uh oh! 

Did Daniel Boone (1734-1820) have an Acoustic Neuroma? 
By Richard J. Barker

Richard J. Barker is Professor of History Emeritus at Montclair State University in Upper Montclair, NJ. He was one of the founder-members of the Acoustic Neuroma Association of NJ (ANA/NJ) in 1995 and served for many years as editor of the ANA/NJ Newsletter.

Be Your Own Advocate
by Pamela Brown

I was diagnosed with AN in the early 2000s. My only symptom was twitching in my left eye. After the devastating news was confirmed, the neurologist discussed treatments, and I decided to have 24 sessions of radiotherapy. I was working full-time, so I went for treatments during my lunch hour. I experienced nausea near the end of radiation, but it diminished immediately after I finished my treatments.

Acoustic Neuroma Diagnosis at Two-Weeks Postpartum

Stacy Leverty

When I was six weeks pregnant, I had 90% hearing loss in my left ear. My ENT wanted to do an MRI but decided to wait due to the baby. In the meantime, I took Prednisone and had some success and some hearing did return.  My ENT suspected a tumor, and in July 2021, when I was two weeks postpartum, I was diagnosed with a 1.7 cm AN.

Reach Out

To connect with any of the patients featured, please contact ANA at 678-331-5369 or email volunteers@ANAUSA.org.

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Note: In no case does ANA endorse any commercial products, surgeon, medical procedure, medical institution, or its staff.

The stories featured on this page reflect the personal AN experience, perspectives, and opinions of the authors in an effort to increase awareness and provide a resource for support. The information and experiences shared in these stories should never take the place of professional medical advice.
If you have any questions about any content on this page, please contact us at editor@anausa.org. Read our full editorial policy.
 

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