Woman, 27, Whose Numbness on Half Her Body Learns She Has Golf Ball-Sized Brain Tumor, But Finds Remarkable Hope In Chemo and Radiation to Thrive Once Again

At 27, Paige Suisted’s life as a jeweler and model was suddenly interrupted when she began experiencing sharp numbness on the right side of her body. Alarmed, she sought medical help—but the journey to answers was anything but straightforward. After a series of misdiagnoses, she learned she had an advanced brain cancer.

“One doctor said I’d had a stroke, but I hadn’t—they didn’t even admit me to the hospital,” Suisted told The Daily Mail. Another suggested Raynaud’s disease, a condition that restricts blood flow to the extremities. “They all told me something completely different,” she recalled.

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Meanwhile, her symptoms worsened. “My fingers kind of just stopped working,” she explained. Soon, her legs were affected too. Determined to find the cause, Suisted underwent further testing—including an MRI, CT scan, and ultimately a brain biopsy.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT) scans offer detailed images of the brain, helping doctors detect tumors based on how they look and behave. However, imaging alone often isn’t enough to fully understand the tumor’s nature. In many cases, the next step is surgery—not just to remove as much of the tumor as possible, but also to confirm a diagnosis through lab analysis of the tissue. Biopsies can be performed during surgery or separately, depending on the situation.

WATCH: What to Consider Between Biopsy versus Surgery. 

Dr. D. Ryan Ormond, a neurosurgeon at the University of Colorado in Denver, told SurvivorNet that determining whether surgery is a viable option comes first.

“It’s usually pretty straightforward—can we get enough of the tumor out to make a difference in their life with surgery?” Dr. Ormond explained.

The results revealed the devastating truth: a golf ball-sized tumor on her brain. She was diagnosed with stage 4 astrocytoma.

Astrocytes are star-shaped cells that play a crucial role in brain function. They help regulate immune responses, control the brain’s chemistry, and provide structural support to neurons. They are essential in maintaining the brain’s delicate balance of chemicals and protecting against harmful substances. When a tumor forms from astrocytes, it is called an astrocytoma, and these tumors tend to be more aggressive than some other types of gliomas.

“Astrocytoma is typically a little more on the aggressive side,” Dr. Burt Nabors, a neuro-oncology expert at the University of Alabama Birmingham (UAB) Medicine in Birmingham, Alabama, tells SurvivorNet.

While all gliomas – oligodendrocytes, astrocytes, and ependymal cells – arise from different types of brain cells, their treatment approaches can vary significantly depending on their characteristics and how they behave in the brain.

WATCH: Neurosurgeons: At the Front Line of Glioma Care

Suisted’s care team explained to her that undergoing surgery presented a 50/50 chance that she may be paralyzed on half of her body. Not willing to take the risk, she opted for a different treatment path that involved chemotherapy and radiation.

“At the start of chemo, it really shot me down. I wasn’t even aware of what was going on,” Suisted said.

The treatment plan for astrocytomas may include:

• Surgery: Removing as much of the tumor as possible is the first step. However, astrocytomas can infiltrate surrounding brain tissue, making total removal difficult.
• Radiation Therapy: This is often used after surgery to target any remaining cancer cells and prevent regrowth.
• Chemotherapy: Drugs like temozolomide are commonly used, especially for higher-grade astrocytomas.
• Tumor-Treating Fields (TTFields): This is a newer therapy that uses electric fields to disrupt cancer cell growth and is sometimes used alongside chemotherapy.
• IDH targeting therapy with vorasidenib for low-grade astrocytoma with IDH mutations should be discussed with your doctor.

 

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Although Suisted’s prognosis for her brain cancer was an uphill climb at the onset, even to her doctor’s surprise, her treatment worked remarkably well.

“In my last few scans, there’s been nothing there. This massive golf ball in my brain, we can’t see any of it on the MRIs,” Suisted explained.

Better Understanding Brain Tumors

Brain tumors can impact a person’s cognitive function and overall well-being, depending largely on the tumor’s size, type, and specific location within the brain. When large enough, tumors may interfere with the central nervous system, pressing on nearby nerves, blood vessels, or tissues. This disruption may result in difficulties with coordination, balance, or mobility.

WATCH: Hope for Glioblastoma Research

While some brain tumors cause noticeable symptoms, others can go unnoticed for long periods. When symptoms do occur, they might include:

• Persistent headaches
• Difficulty speaking or processing thoughts
• Muscle weakness
• Behavioral or personality changes
• Vision disturbances
• Seizures
• Hearing loss
• Confusion
• Memory issues

Treatment Options for Brain Tumors

Treatment strategies for brain cancer depend on several variables, including the tumor’s size, type, grade, and location. Doctors may recommend:

• Surgery
• Radiation therapy
• Chemotherapy

Your medical team will help guide you based on your individual diagnosis. The prognosis—or outlook—depends on:

• Tumor type and growth rate
• Tumor location in the brain
• Presence of genetic mutations or abnormalities
• Whether the entire tumor can be removed
• The patient’s overall health

Types of Brain Tumors: Cancerous and Non-Cancerous

According to the National Cancer Institute, brain tumors can vary greatly in behavior. Some common non-cancerous (benign) types include:

• Chordomas: Slow-growing, often found near the spine’s base or where it meets the skull
• Craniopharyngiomas: Develop near the pituitary gland; rare and slow-growing
• Gangliocytomas: Form in the temporal lobe and affect the central nervous system
• Glomus jugulare: Rare and slow-growing
• Meningiomas: Typically grow on the brain’s outer protective layer (dura mater)
• Pineocytomas: Arise from the pineal gland near the brain’s center
• Pituitary adenomas: Located in the pituitary gland; generally slow-growing
• Schwannomas: Originate in Schwann cells, which insulate nerve fibers
• Acoustic neuromas (vestibular schwannomas): Impact on hearing and balance nerves

Common malignant (cancerous) brain tumors include:

• Gliomas: The most frequent and aggressive form of primary brain cancer
• Astrocytomas: Derived from star-shaped brain cells, with four growth grades
• Ependymomas: Graded based on aggressiveness
• Oligodendrogliomas: Can grow slowly (Grade 2) or aggressively (Grade 3)
• Medulloblastomas: Fast-growing and often found in children
• Glioblastomas: The most common and aggressive brain tumor in adults

Understanding the Impact of a Glioblastoma Brain Tumor

Glioblastoma is a highly aggressive central nervous system tumor. As the National Cancer Institute explains, glioblastomas “grow and spread very quickly.”

WATCH: Using electric sources to improve glioblastoma treatment.

• Average survival rate: 15 months with treatment, fewer than six months without
• Five-year survival rate: ~6%; those who survive long-term continue treatment indefinitely
• Treatment challenges: Due to their cellular diversity (heterogeneity), glioblastomas are difficult to fully remove via surgery. The remaining cells rapidly grow back after surgery.

Dr. Friedman and other researchers are exploring innovative strategies like poliovirus therapy and immunotherapy to raise survival rates above 20%.

RELATED: Standard of Care Plus & The Treatment Path for High-Grade Gliomas

Risk factors for glioblastoma include:

• Prior radiation exposure
• Male gender
• Age 50+
• Genetic conditions such as neurofibromatosis, tuberous sclerosis, and von Hippel-Lindau disease

Common symptoms include:

• Headaches
• Seizures
• Mood or personality changes
• Speech difficulties
• Hearing, smell, or vision changes
• Loss of coordination or balance
• Irregular breathing or pulse

Questions to Ask Your Doctor

If you or a loved one is diagnosed with a brain tumor, consider asking:

• What type of brain tumor do I have, and what grade or stage is it?
• What treatment options are available for my specific diagnosis?
• What are the risks and benefits of those treatments?
• What side effects might I expect, and how can they be managed?
• What is my prognosis?
• Will additional tests or imaging be needed to track progress?
• Am I eligible for any clinical trials?
• How might treatment affect my daily life and activities?

Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.

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