On August 21, 2024, Tamara had a five-hour brain surgery. The symptom she had for this tumor was blurry vision, which was causing her a significant impairment in her daily life. If not for her annual eye exam and the quick responses from her LRH care team, her tumor would have kept growing and made her blind. The benign tumor, meningioma, was localized on the base of her skull, causing pressure on the optic nerves and pituitary gland. The pressure of the tumor on the optic nerves was causing her to become blind.

Tamara does not remember the first few days of recovery after surgery, but she trusted her care team to take great care of her. She is still on the road to recovery, but her vision has greatly improved, thanks to the expertise of her surgeons.

“I am steadily getting better and can now see my computer screen for work. For the first three weeks, I could see well enough to get around the house, and my vision continued to get better. The symptoms of the tumor definitely took a hit to morale, so it’s hard to stay positive. I worried this would force me into retirement at 66 years old, but I am not ready to retire, and now I am doing so much better!”

Now, Tamara is getting back to her life. She enjoys getting together with family, heading to Auburndale for racing, and just enjoying the normal things in life.

“I am happy to report they got all of it, and my recent MRI showed the tumor is all gone. During this whole experience, I wasn’t afraid for a reason; I had the best surgeon, and I knew God was going to take care of me.”