LAGRANGE — Tonya Burwell is a picture of hope.

At the age of 16, Burwell, now 27, went for a routine eye exam when her optometrist noticed there was pressure on her optic nerve.

That pressure was actually a benign brain tumor. The consequences changed her life. 

“I started doing a lot of research about brain tumors and found a support group online called T.H.E. (The Healing Exchange) Brain Trust,” said Burwell, who lives with her parents, Randy and Connie Burwell, in LaGrange.

After Burwell was diagnosed, she immediately questioned whether she would be able to graduate with her class from North Ridgeville High School, let alone attend college.

Burwell has achieved both those goals. She graduated from NRHS in 1998 and earned her associate’s degree in art from Tomball College in Tomball, Texas. While in Texas, a neurosurgeon removed almost 70 percent of the tumor at M.D. Anderson Hospital. But it wasn’t long before she was told the tumor had started to grow back.

“The surgery was done in March of 2000, but then I had to undergo six weeks of radiation from August through September because they found the tumor had started growing after they had done the surgery,” Burwell said.

The large brain tumor is still present, but it has not grown. To relieve the pressure, surgeons have inserted a shunt that forces fluid to stay out of the brain. The lasting effects of the tumor are headaches and short-term memory loss.

Yet through all of her ups and downs, Burwell has remained optimistic about her future and is determined to share her story with others.

Burwell is now attending Cleveland State University, where she is majoring in communications with the goal of working in public relations.

When Burwell enrolled at CSU in 2005, she was compelled to help other brain cancer patients. She sought permission to host an event on campus to raise awareness and raise money for cancer research.

The “Surviving Brain Tumor” event launched in 2004, and in October 2007, the event raised $3,500. Money raised from all of the Surviving Brain Tumor events is divided between the American Brain Tumor Association, National Brain Tumor Foundation, The Brain Tumor Society, The Brain Tumor Foundation and The Healing Exchange Brain Trust.

Speakers from all over the United States have come to share their life stories of dealing with brain tumors and cancer.

“I am an 11-year brain tumor survivor. I feel this brain tumor has changed my life in so many ways,” Burwell said. “I am dedicated to research about brain tumors because I want to share (information) with others.”

Contact Melissa Linebrink at 329-7155 or mlinebrink@chroniclet.com

 

---

Print this story
Report an inappropriate comment

---

---

In order to comment, you must agree to our user agreement and discussion guidelines.

Need help? Email Us.

---