MONROE - One year ago, Tina Koch of Monroe was recovering from surgery to remove a brain tumor. Now, on Sunday, she will participate in a 5K run to raise awareness for people with tumors like hers.
The run, the American Brain Tumor Association's Breakthrough for Brain Tumors, will take place in Chicago. Participants donate money to the association to fund brain tumor research.
"Not a lot of people know about how brain tumors work," Koch said.
For example, Koch explained, her tumor was a meningioma, which grew on the surface of her brain. However, there are more than 120 different known types of brain tumors, some of which occur on the surface of the brain while others grow within.
Koch said she noticed early last year that her right eye seemed to be losing vision rapidly. An ophthalmologist recommended a CT scan, which revealed a brain tumor that was pressing upon her optic nerve.
"They said it was benign," Koch said. "But in this case, "benign' meant that it would not spread to other parts of my body, but it could still spread throughout my brain."
Soon after, on April 6, 2015, Koch underwent surgery to remove the growth. The surgery lasted four hours, and she was cleared to leave the hospital within the week.
"They could only remove part of it," Koch said. "It was entangled with the optic nerves, the facial nerves and the carotid artery, so they couldn't remove all of it."
The surgery removed the bulk of the tumor, and a six-week regimen of radiation therapy shrunk the remainder to a smaller size.
Koch said the doctors are unsure whether the vision in her right eye will ever return. "Nerves are a funny thing," she said.
Despite the ordeal, Koch's activities haven't been hindered significantly. She visited friends at a live concert mere days after being released from the hospital and regularly attends conferences for brain tumor awareness.
On Friday, Koch will hold a bake sale at Woodford State Bank in Monroe from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. to raise additional funds for the run. The next day, she will attend a workshop for families of brain tumor victims at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Koch said she is grateful to meet other survivors like her and to hear their stories.
"We really want to help others, to do what we can to help find treatments and cures," Koch said.
The run, the American Brain Tumor Association's Breakthrough for Brain Tumors, will take place in Chicago. Participants donate money to the association to fund brain tumor research.
"Not a lot of people know about how brain tumors work," Koch said.
For example, Koch explained, her tumor was a meningioma, which grew on the surface of her brain. However, there are more than 120 different known types of brain tumors, some of which occur on the surface of the brain while others grow within.
Koch said she noticed early last year that her right eye seemed to be losing vision rapidly. An ophthalmologist recommended a CT scan, which revealed a brain tumor that was pressing upon her optic nerve.
"They said it was benign," Koch said. "But in this case, "benign' meant that it would not spread to other parts of my body, but it could still spread throughout my brain."
Soon after, on April 6, 2015, Koch underwent surgery to remove the growth. The surgery lasted four hours, and she was cleared to leave the hospital within the week.
"They could only remove part of it," Koch said. "It was entangled with the optic nerves, the facial nerves and the carotid artery, so they couldn't remove all of it."
The surgery removed the bulk of the tumor, and a six-week regimen of radiation therapy shrunk the remainder to a smaller size.
Koch said the doctors are unsure whether the vision in her right eye will ever return. "Nerves are a funny thing," she said.
Despite the ordeal, Koch's activities haven't been hindered significantly. She visited friends at a live concert mere days after being released from the hospital and regularly attends conferences for brain tumor awareness.
On Friday, Koch will hold a bake sale at Woodford State Bank in Monroe from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. to raise additional funds for the run. The next day, she will attend a workshop for families of brain tumor victims at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Koch said she is grateful to meet other survivors like her and to hear their stories.
"We really want to help others, to do what we can to help find treatments and cures," Koch said.