Brave Eva wins brain tumour battle

A YOUNG Southside woman who had qualified as a fitness instructor before being struck down with a brain tumour made an emotional return to the hospital where she was treated last week to thank the doctors for her recovery.

Eva Abrahamson, who lives in Blackrock, was at the peak of her health in December 2012 when she went on a night out with friends to a Dublin city centre restaurant just before Christmas.

She had just qualified as a nutrition consultant and fitness instructor and was looking forward to life’s new opportunities.

Suddenly, as she sat with friends, Eva experienced a seizure and was rushed to hospital.

After various CT and MRI scans, she was transferred to Beaumont Hospital, the national referral centre for neurosurgery and neurology.

There, the terrified young woman was diagnosed as having a 6cm frontal lobe brain tumour.

She was scheduled for surgery, which was complicated when it was discovered she was allergic to penicillin.

Her neurosurgeon, Mr David O’Brien, gently explained to Eva that she could lose the power on her left side as a result of the surgery depending on the depth of the tumour.

“It was a scary time,

? Eva, who is originally from Northern Spain, recalled.

“I didn’t know what was going to happen but I was ready for it all the same.

?

When Eva came out of surgery she realised she had lost all power on her left side, as she had feared.

She was confined to a wheelchair but refused to admit defeat and willed her left hand to move.

When she succeeded this proved that she could once again control her limbs and with the help of the physio and occupational therapy teams in Beaumont, she made steady progress.

Five months on from her operation, Eva jogged the mini-marathon to raise funds for the Beaumont Hospital Foundation.

“I had never, ever been in a hospital as an in-patient,

? she explained.

“I was devastated to find that the tumour had been growing steadily and slowly without any symptoms that could have helped spot it earlier.

“My worst fear became a reality when I knew I wouldn’t be able to teach fitness classes again for a very long time and perhaps I will never be able to.

?

She added:

“My fitness career had started and finished within less than a year.

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“But, despite the diagnosis and loss of power, this was a very small price to pay for being alive and retaining all my faculties. After all, I am really very lucky and did not have to go through radiotherapy or chemotherapy.

?

Last week Eva returned to Beaumont Hospital to thank the doctors there for their care and treatment as part of the hospital’s staff recognition and fundraising programme

‘Honour Your Heroes’.

This allows patients to pass on a message of appreciation to a hospital staff member, or team, in thanks for the care they, or a loved one, received while in Beaumont Hospital.

The messages are displayed around the hospital for staff, patients and the public to read and voluntary donations can be made to the foundation to fund patient care initiatives.

“I am deeply grateful to the Beaumont Hospital team for the great care they provided,

? Eva added.

“I really felt that everyone really cared for me and made my recovery a priority.

“My neurosurgeon, Mr David O’Brien, would hold my hand while explaining the bad and good news, which I found really reassuring and calming.

“Without their help I wouldn’t be doing as well as I am now. I have still a very long road to complete recovery of my left side joints and muscles but there is no way to stop me.

?

Deborah McNamara, a consultant surgeon, said the Honour Your Heroes programme allowed patients to share their messages of appreciation across the hospital.

“As a staff member, I know how much a message of thanks means and the encouragement it can provide,

? she said.

“We all like to get recognition for doing a good job and when people go the extra mile and make a donation, the great thing is that their contribution will be used to help other patients through the work of Beaumont Hospital Foundation.

?