ONE LAST UNEXPECTED CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
Oscar Gonzalez de las Cuevas
Spain
On January 27th 2020 , I was diagnosed with something that I had never heard of – a 1.9 cm acoustic neuroma. Although a benign tumor, my ENT made it clear there could be a downside. The tumor’s location could potentially cause a variety of symptoms.
Just hearing the word ““tumor” from your doctor changes your entire perspective very quickly. The news hit me and my family hard. Dealing with this tumor would become yet another life challenge that I would have to face.
As an ex- professional basketball player from Spain, I have experienced lots of stressful situations, both on and off the court. During my 12-year career, I certainly had my share of pressure, stress, and decision-making, especially during championships. I decided I was going to approach my AN the same way – by using similar strategies that I used on the court. I began to think of the decision-making process, treatment experience and post-treatment recovery and results as “one last unexpected championship game.”
I came up with a list of goals and devised a game plan. I knew that I needed to be mentally, physically, and psychologically ready to make a decision when the time came. I began to work on my game plan right away. The first thing I did was to research and learn more about acoustic neuroma. I spoke with some specialists, both here in Spain and in the U.S.
I contacted the ANA. During my preparation, their resources helped me tremendously. The ANA website, newsletters, webinars, and volunteer peer mentors helped me learn about my options in more detail. One webinar in particular, discussing Gamma Knife treatment, prompted me to contact the speaker, Dr. Anthony D´Ambrosio, for a consultation and I decided to have Gamma Knife. Now, I truly felt like I was more than ready to play my last unexpected championship game.
There is only one Gamma Knife machine in Spain - located in Madrid. I scheduled my procedure, and everything went according to plan. It was certainly an experience, if you want to call it that, and I was glad that I chose Gamma Knife.
My symptoms are currently the same as pre- treatment (I had partial hearing loss and tinnitus). I am experiencing a bit of dizziness now which I hope will go away with time.
My team won the last unexpected championship game, and I was named MVANP (Most Valuable Acoustic Neuroma Player)!
