09/03/2025
One minute, Valerie was fine. The next, she couldn’t remember her dog’s name, all thanks to a meningioma brain tumor.
On December 11, 2022, Valerie had her first episode.
She became overwhelmingly hot and couldn’t verbally communicate or mentally process anything, aside from knowing something wasn’t right. She called her husband, Ryan, who was touring as a musician. He could immediately tell something was wrong and called 911. Paramedics came, determined it was not a stroke, and asked if she wanted to go to the hospital. By that time, she was feeling fine and her friends were there, so she declined.
A few months later, another episode occurred and Valerie made an appointment to see her Vanderbilt Health primary care physician. Brain scans were ordered and she was immediately booked for an appointment with Dr. Reid Thompson. She learned she had a meningioma, a type of brain tumor. Dr. Thompson determined that it was growing in the language part of her brain. Ryan was terrified at the start of the appointment, but “when Dr. Thompson walked in, it was like an immediate feeling of ‘this guy knows exactly what he’s doing and what he’s talking about.’ ”
Valerie said Vanderbilt Health “really treated me like a person and now, back to life.” Valerie has since recovered well. She and Ryan are determined more than ever, to live a life of gratitude — to not take any moment for granted.
Thank you, Valerie, for sharing photos from your journey.
