Young Mother and Surgeon Conquer Brain Tumor

IT WAS THE WORST HEADACHE OF HER LIFE. AFTER A LONG, AGONIZING DAY, AMY ENNIS ASKED HER HUSBAND, BRIAN, TO TAKE HER TO THE EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT AT SAINT BARNABAS MEDICAL CENTER.

"I was in so much pain I could hardly see," recalls Mrs. Ennis. "They had to examine me with the light off because I could not stand to have it on." A CT scan revealed the worst, the 37-year-old mother of two had a massive tumor located between her skull and brain. The benign tumor, the size of an orange, had grown into the brain and now involved several sensitive compartments. Her neurosurgeon, Otakar Hubschmann, M.D., Section Chief of Neurosurgery at Saint Barnabas Medical Center and Chief of the Institute of Neurology and Neurosurgery at the Saint Barnabas, recalls the difficult nature of the tumor. "The tumor was in a critical location involving major vessels that drain blood from the brain," says Dr. Hubschmann. "It was also unusual in that it involved so many brain compartments in both the regular brain and the cerebellum. Without surgery, she would have died relatively soon. The surgery itself would be complicated because any damage to a blood vessel would result in a massive stroke." For the family, this was a devastating and frightening diagnosis. Mrs. Ennis recalls that Dr. Hubschmann rearranged his schedule to do the surgery as quickly as possible, highlighting the serious nature of her tumor. "I listened but I didn’t want to hear how bad it was," she relates. "I was scared to death. My husband and parents were wrecks. I remember asking Dr. Hubschmann if he was confident about doing the surgery and he said that he was. He was wonderful and so was his staff. We felt that he was the best person to perform the surgery."

SURGICAL SUCCESS

On October 8, 2002––after seven and a half hours of delicateneurosurgery –– Dr. Hubschmann successfully removed the entire tumor. The experienced neurosurgeon also had to reconstruct part of the skull because the tumor had invaded the bone and could have grown back.

"She has been 100 percent cured," says Dr. Hubschmann. "Our team achieved excellent results that were confirmed by her post operative studies. Although I performed the surgery, the entire team at the Institute was needed to handle such a complex case.

We have built this program over the years and are now in a position to handle the most complicated types of neurosurgery." Dr. Hubschmann adds that while he felt "extra pressure" to operate on a mother with young children who was at such risk, the result has been "extra satisfying."

Although the procedure had been lengthy, time seemed to fly for Mrs. Ennis and she recalls her family’s joy when they were told that the tumor was gone.

"I’m just so thankful to be alive and to see my kids again," says Mrs. Ennis, who has returned to work and made a full recovery. "The care was wonderful. I can’t say enough nice things."

Before the surgery, Mrs. Ennis and her husband prepared their two children, Shannon, age 6, and J.P., age 4. After the tumor was removed, the children sent a holiday card to Dr. Hubschmann’s office that read, "Thank you for fixing our mommy’s head."

For more information about the Institute of Neurology and Neurosurgery at Saint Barnabas Medical Center, please call (973) 322-6600.

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