Page 26 - Education Issue

Women of Distinction

surgery he was attending. The medical this and my strong faith in God, I knew tioning there isn’t much you can do. I
staff knew something was wrong as Dr. He would see me through these rough had no memory of my score or how I
James fell to his knees. Even in this im- times. I prayed so many times during played the week before. I was unable to
paired state he was able to complete his the day for strength and guidance. I communicate with any friends since I
job and wake the patient after which, he also believed that there is a reason for didn’t remember them.”
and the patient were both wheeled out everything. On the outside, I hid what Feeling imprisoned, he believed he
of the operating room on stretchers. was going on. I felt there was no sense could hear himself thinking and trying
A battery of tests followed, finally in being negative. I knew I was blessed to complete tasks, but it took so much
leading to a shocking diagnosis – he had I had healthy children, a great husband, time, and it hurt to do anything that
a brain tumor on his pituitary gland. He a great career, a supportive network of required more than one step. Others
recounts, “They put me on chemo and family and friends and a profession that noticed he was slow, lethargic, and
the next six to nine months were a living I knew would support my family. So I didn’t move well. He now recalls his
hell. I lost function, and my peripheral was operating from a place of gratitude thought process, “I’m still here, I’m still
vision was severely affected. I was still and a belief that this was all happening thinking, I’m still working, but it’s like
awake on the inside, but that was tough for a reason.” in the highway of my brain, seven lanes
to discern for anyone looking at me. were shut down, and only three were
My wife would watch me stand at the working. I needed to figure out how to
sink with my toothbrush in one hand reorganize those three open lanes, but
and the toothpaste in the other, and I that’s not enough, I need to build new
wouldn’t know what to do.” Since the lanes.” Based on his knowledge of the
pituitary gland controls so many differ- brain and new understanding of the
ent areas, including the disbursement learning process, Dr. James knew that
of hormones in our system, Dr. James if he were to recover his missing brain
experienced a multitude of negative side function, it would require that he be
effects from the tumor, some emotional meticulous in building the foundation.
and some functional. The medication Motivated by the love for his family
affected his emotions, and the tumor and the desire to be a good husband
gave him the hormones to the likeness and father, he reached out to his father
of a pregnant woman. for guidance and the family began the
It was tough for his wife to wit- healing process together. He had to
ness the complete transformation relearn everything that was previously
occur of her husband and the father of second nature to him. He remembers
her children. “Before the diagnosis, I telling himself, “I need to give my body
thought he was going crazy. I thought what it needs. I know medicine, I know
he had early onset dementia. His mood biochemistry and biophysics so let’s go
changed, and he had fits of rage and back and try to fix my brain. I focused
frustration. James had a loss of energy on the bio-nutrients that I knew my
and interest in anything and slipped body required. When thinking about
into a severe depression.” the body, you think about all the things
I had to ask Dr. Tess how she man- the body needs or uses when the brain
aged to deal with seeing her husband go is active or to create an active brain.
through this. Dr. James recounts, “I was going Supplements give our body what it’s
She answers, “There was definitely a through such a tough period that at one missing from our diet, what we should
lot of fear, uncertainty, and sadness be- point, life just didn’t matter to me. Not be taking in. How do we get all this
cause I felt like I lost that person I knew that I didn’t care. I could argue it either working? We need the right mix of
and loved … I suppose my feelings were way, I could live, or I could die. That’s amino acids supplied to neurotrans-
similar to those who have had family how far gone I was. I thought I had mitters, the right mix of vitamins,
members suffering from dementia. married, I had procreated, and I had minerals, and your metabolic fires are
Then there was also the financial bur- done what I was supposed to do as a working. Tess and I explored supple-
den of having a husband unable to work being on this planet. So if I disappeared mentation and searched desperately for
and provide income, so I took over that it wouldn’t matter.” the ingredients that we knew, based on
responsibility. Thankfully I had experi- Between the medicine and the our medical knowledge and expertise,
enced this growing up and looked back chemotherapy, he felt scattered and dis- were most essential to improving brain
on how my mother handled it all, so I oriented but tried to deal with it as best function.”
knew I could. I was also blessed with he could. “I thought, okay let me just be Dr. James was relentless “I didn’t
a great family whom all came together retired, I will play golf, but that didn’t care how long it took – I was going to
to help during this time, and between even work. When your brain isn’t func- track down the solution.

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