College Student’s Headaches Dismissed as ‘Stress.’ Then She’s Diagnosed with a Brain Tumor the Size of a Tennis Ball

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The scans revealed she had a two-inch brain tumor, about the size of a tennis ball. The tumor was benign (non-cancerous), but doctors suspected it had been growing slowly for the past three or four years.

Keating was told she needed to “go to the emergency room immediately” for surgery because the tumor was pressing against her left frontal cortex, part of the brain responsible for cognitive functions, motor control and speech.

“I was stunned. That was the last thing that I would have expected,” she recalled. “I was scared and worried about the surgery. I didn’t know coming out of it how I would act… or if there would be neurological effects.”

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Keating successfully underwent a six-hour craniotomy to remove the tumor. However, she is now preparing for radiation treatment to ensure the tumor doesn’t grow back.

“It’s crazy that what I thought was college stress got to this point, and I had to undergo massive surgery. I was supposed to graduate in spring and I had a job lined up. Now I’m in a situation where I have to do another semester at school and take time off,” she told the outlet. “That’s just the mental kick of it — and not being able to be with my support team, my school, my friends and having to take life slowly.”

Keating is now encouraging others to “trust your gut” and seek a second opinion if they’re not satisfied with the medical care they’ve received. She hopes sharing her story will prevent others from being dismissed.

“If I hadn’t kept asking and going to the doctor with the pain, then I wouldn’t know I had a tumor,” she said. “You need to keep asking your doctors and pushing for it, and they need to listen to you.”