Bride with a brain tumor makes “phenomenal” recovery

FAIRMONT, Minn. (KEYC) - A Blue Earth native and nursing school graduate said brain surgery wouldn’t stop her from walking down the aisle.

In late spring, 24-year-old Christina Anderson began experiencing symptoms of extreme vertigo.

“I called into work the next day and said 'this is kind of a dumb reason, I’m just dizzy,” Anderson said.

She was in the emergency room on May 2 when a doctor told her it was much worse.

“It took the doctor a long time to come in,” Anderson said. “So I knew something was up. And she pulled up to me, and she was like, ‘So I’ve got some bad news, honey.’ And I was just like, ‘What now?’”

In an MRI, doctors found hemangioblastoma, a golf ball-sized benign brain tumor.

Just five days later, Anderson underwent an eight-hour procedure to remove it.

“I must congratulate her on making such a phenomenal recovery," Dr. Manish Sharma, a Mayo Clinic Health System neurosurgeon, said. "Prior to surgery, it was difficult for her to walk without spinning out of control. Her vision was off. Headache and nausea was a constant accompaniment.”

Dr. Sharma says recovery for this surgery can take weeks to months, but not for Anderson.

She was walking on her own the day after surgery.

“I’ve had a lot of gymnastics injuries so this was just a little hiccup,” she said.

And on Sunday, Anderson put that walking to the best use; down the aisle at her wedding in Fairmont, walker-free.