Cameron Fitzgerald

 

Diagnosis: spinal tumor

From: Toronto, Canada

 

I have immense praise and thanks to Dr Luis Robles for performing emergency surgery in May of 2019 to remove a tumor from my spinal cord, sparing me agonizing pain and probable paralysis in my left leg. My condition was initially diagnosed by a physiotherapist as sciatica, but after two weeks of treatment the pain worsened instead of improved. San Mare’s excellent patient coordinator, Pam Thompson, recommended that I have an MRI and bring it with me for a consultation with Dr Robles, who started our appointment explaining that surgery is often not the recommended course of action. However, after he looked at the MRI images he discovered a probable tumor impinging on the nerves in my spinal cord, and he advised emergency surgery to remove it. The surgery was performed successfully a few days later and revealed that the tumor was a chondroma, an exceedingly rare type that has been documented only about twenty times in medical history. After three days of recovery I was released and immediately began regular physiotherapy to recover my mobility. Amazingly, I was back to normal about four months later. Now, I have twice-yearly MRIs in order to monitor the small portion of the tumor that could not be removed at the time of surgery, but which does not present any danger unless it regrows. Thanks again to Dr Robles, Pam Thompson, and all the excellent and caring staff at San Mare who made my treatment a success story.