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."
