Btaa Canberra Hospital

Maria Parakilas Brain tumour survivor, eight months on It was 21 February 2009, and Maria was residing in Israel with her family as her husband was on a work assignment. That evening Maria went to bed with a bad headache and nausea. She was sick throughout the night, but little did she and her family realise the cause of her illness.

Urgent medical appointments and a CT scan discovered a ‘lesion’ requiring further investigation. Maria was immediately admitted to hospital. An MRI scan showed that Maria had a large lesion in her brain, crossing both hemispheres (mostly on the LHS) and placing significant pressure on the front

Maria and kids, an hour before her first surgery (Israel)

of her brain.

Urgent surgery was undertaken the a few hours later, which last four hours. A portion of the tumour (confirmed be the neurosurgeon post-surgery) was removed. However, due to its location it was not possible to remove all of the mass.

Maria was hospitalised for four days. It was an agonising 10-day wait for the pathology result, which revealed Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM), a Grade IV malignant tumour (cancer). GBM is considered the worst of brain tumours.

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Photos (above and below) taken two days after surgery #1

Maria Parakilas

Brain tumour survivor – 8 months on

Maria would remain in Israel for a further three months due to her inability to travel, combined with the fact that had she returned she would not have been able to receive the radiotherapy required in the necessary timeframe. Maria was cleared to return to Australia at the end of May 2009, having now completed six weeks of radiotherapy in conjunction with daily chemotherapy (temozolomide). Throughout this three month period, Maria struggled with ongoing severe head pain and was on a cocktail of drugs that wasn’t providing any relief. Upon Maria’s return to Australia (Canberra), she met with her ‘new’ Oncologist. A few days later Maria underwent a post-therapy MRI to determine the treatment’s effectiveness. The MRI was followed by a standard consultation with her ‘new’ neurosurgeon. It was a huge shock to learn that the MRI showed what appeared to be a significant

Photos taken the evening before her 2nd surgery (Australia)

regrowth of tumour. Maria was scheduled for another surgery. On 15 June 2009, Maria underwent her second craniotomy (this time “awake”) to debulk as much tumour as possible. At the commencement of surgery the neurosurgeon discovered a massive cerebral abscess (on scans looks the same as tumour mass). It was a lengthy and delicate surgery to remove as much infection and tumour as possible. Maria now sports

a

titanium plate in the front of her skull, which was used to replace the infected bone flap.

In ICU, a few hours after surgery #2

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Maria Parakilas

Brain tumour survivor – 8 months on

Maria lost her hair as a result of the radiation treatment. Due to the short interval between both surgeries, Maria was not able to undergo further irradiation in Australia. However, her hair is now growing back—although she was hoping for a colour other than “salt and pepper”. It has been a huge blessing that Maria has suffered only minor neurological deficits as a result of both surgeries. Since her second surgery in June, Maria has—against many odds—shown improvement. Unfortunately the range of medications she takes causes a host of side effects that she continues to combat in addition to the tumour itself. During this International Brain Tumour Awareness Week, Maria will commence her fifth cycle of chemotherapy. In amongst all the ups and downs, Maria’s most recent MRI (September) showed some reduction in the remaining tumour mass. Awesome news! Maria is becoming more capable of caring for herself over longer periods of time, which has allowed her husband to recently return to work (part-time). One of her greatest frustrations is not being allowed to drive “for now”. Throughout this journey, Maria, her husband and children have remained solid in their faith and willingness to persevere, regardless of the circumstances. Maria’s husband has managed a family blog from ‘Day 1’ to allow family and friends to be share in this journey.

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Maria Parakilas

Brain tumour survivor – 8 months on

Maria has never lost faith or hope. She been an inspiration to her family, loved ones and those she has touched both in Australia and overseas.

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