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Community Connection - May 25

Health & Hope is a newsletter designed to educate and inspire Western Montanans on life-saving procedures, community events and services to keep you and your family healthy.

Issue link: https://blog.providence.org/i/1534800

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Community Connection: Covenant Health | 5 Beating the odds: how one nursing student fought a brain tumor and returned to care for others After completing her first semester of nursing school last year, Teylor was diagnosed with a severe brain tumor. At just 23 years old, her medical team was shocked at the amount of fluid buildup they found, something they had never seen in someone her age. A few days after her diagnosis, she underwent brain surgery with Dr. Robert Scranton. She was very scared and overwhelmed by the uncertainty of how things would be after her procedure. Despite the severity and size of her tumor, the surgery was successful. Teylor had a difficult recovery, spending three days in the ICU and two weeks on the neurosciences floor, followed by a week of rehab. Despite the physical and emotional toll, she was determined to get back to her goals and returned to nursing school just two months after her surgery. She initially struggled with her critical thinking skills and connecting content to exams but was determined to continue her nursing education. Recently, Teylor did a neurology clinical rotation on the neurosciences unit where she had been a patient. During her time on the unit, she worked with Christa, the nurse who had cared for her before her surgery. When Christa realized who Teylor was, it was full circle moment for both of them. Christa hugged her and nearly cried, expressing how she had wondered how Teylor was doing after she left her care. During her following clinical rotation in the OR, Teylor had the opportunity to observe a couple of neurosurgical procedures with her surgeon, Dr. Scranton. One of the procedures she observed was very similar to her own, giving her a new perspective and connecting her personal journey with her nursing aspirations. She met the family of the patient she observed, and after hearing her story, they found comfort in knowing she could relate to what their loved one was experiencing. She later visited the patient in the ICU after his procedure, where the family hugged her and expressed their gratitude for her presence in the operating room. Looking back on her experience, Teylor says, "I'm happy to be alive. Dr. Scranton saved my life." After graduation, she hopes to work on the neurosciences unit at Covenant, bringing her experience full circle. Teylor's inspiring recovery after brain surgery leads her back to the very place that saved her. "I'm happy to be alive. Dr. Scranton saved my life."

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