The first sign something was wrong came when Jennifer Hulse began forgetting simple words.
But while the occasional moment of brain fog is hardly unusual, things took a frightening turn when she struggled to recall the name of the man she had been happily dating for the past four months.
As her memory continued to deteriorate, the then 34-year-old from New Jersey also started experiencing blurred vision and excruciating headaches that would jolt her awake in the middle of the night and even cause her to throw up.
Worried, Hulse went to her local emergency room. But she wasn’t prepared for what would come next: a diagnosis of stage 4 brain cancer with scans showing a tumor the size of a small orange.
The news was life-altering – and, within a week, she was rushed into surgery.
‘It all just happened so fast,’ Hulse told the Daily Mail. ‘I went to seek medical help on the Monday, and I was in for surgery by Friday where I was told I might incur severe memory loss and need to learn how to talk again. I only developed symptoms over the course of the week.’
According to the Mayo Clinic, tumors in the lower part of the brain (the temporal lobe) can trigger memory problems, as it’s where memories and senses are processed.
Hulse’s cancer story and the chain of events leading to her diagnosis echoes that of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star’s Teddi Mellencamp.
Like Hulse, Mellencamp’s brain cancer had progressed to an advanced stage before being detected.
When Jennifer Hulse started having trouble remembering the name of her boyfriend, she knew there was something drastically wrong. She later discovered she had stage 4 brain cancer
After getting the life-changing news, Hulse said it was all a blur and she was rushed in for surgery the same week
The TV star also said she suffered from ‘debilitating’ headaches for a short time before doctors discovered several malignant masses in her brain that they believed had been growing for around six months. And, like Hulse, the 43-year-old TV star had no family history of cancer.
In Mellencamp’s case, the tumors were the result of skin cancer spreading throughout her body. She continues to fight the disease following numerous surgeries and rounds of chemotherapy.
Hulse, on the other hand, was diagnosed with glioblastoma – one of the most aggressive and fast-growing forms of brain cancer.
Each year, more than 13,000 Americans are diagnosed with glioblastoma. The survival rate is bleak, with only around 5 percent living longer than five years after diagnosis.
Despite that devastating diagnosis, Hulse responded well to treatment.
Doctors were able to stabilize her condition, though glioblastoma is known for recurring.
Hulse’s is the same type of cancer that claimed the lives of Senators John McCain and Ted Kennedy, as well as President Joe Biden’s son, Beau.
Treatment typically begins with surgery to remove the tumor (a craniotomy), followed by intensive radiation and chemotherapy to get rid of anything that’s left.
The average survival time after diagnosis is just 12 to 18 months, with those in advanced stages often falling toward the lower end of that range.
After undergoing surgery in February 2017, Hulse began a grueling course of radiation and chemotherapy, which lasted for several months.
Miracously, Hulse said the surgeons were able to remove her tumor in one go and she did not experience any memory loss upon waking up after the operation.
‘I was told that I might not be able to speak, but, if anything, my memory felt much sharper,’ she said.
‘I was born in Colombia and grew up in Germany, and I could still speak Spanish and German no problem after the surgery, which I was relieved about.’
Hulse was diagnosed with glioblastoma, which is a highly aggressive and fast-growing form of cancer
Hulse said: ‘My boyfriend, Lloyd, was a real rock for me and I will be eternally grateful to all of the doctors.’ Lloyd is now her husband
Some of the side effects Hulse suffers from include exhaustion and she has lost the hair on the left side of her head from the chemotherapy treatment
As she had only been dating her boyfriend, Lloyd, for four months before getting her cancer diagnosis, she says that she half expected him to leave – she even gave him the option.
However, he stuck by her side and sold his house so they could move into together.
Among the lingering side effects of her treatment, Hulse has lost the hair on the left side of her head as a side effect of the chemotherapy.
However, she has found that extensions do a great job at covering the area where her hair is thinner.
Radiation therapy also left her with a rare and painful complication: exposed bone in her ear canal, a condition known as osteoradionecrosis.
According to the American Head and Neck Society, roughly 4 to 8 percent of people with head and neck cancers develop this condition.
To manage it, Hulse was prescribed antibiotics and has to regularly monitor her ear to make sure an infection doesn’t develop.
Along with the negatives, Hulse says one of the positive ‘superpowers’ she now has is that she can ‘fall asleep in just two seconds!’
Despite the physical toll, she says the experience has changed her profoundly – and for the better.
‘Cancer has made me a better person and more appreciative of every moment in life,’ she told the Mail.
‘I’ve come to understand that it’s not luck, but the grace of God, that allows me to be here. I thought I was humble before all of this, but I realize now that I wasn’t humble enough.’
More than 13,000 Americans are diagnosed with glioblastoma every year and only around five per cent of those with this type of brain tumor survive longer than five years
Hulse’s brain cancer was in its advanced stages like the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star’s Teddi Mellencamp (pictured)
While some cancer patients report experiencing ‘cancer ghosting’ – when friends or loved ones withdraw or cut off contact after a diagnosis – Hulse said she was fortunate to be surrounded by unwavering support.
‘It was something that really helped get me through everything,’ she told the Daily Mail. ‘I had an amazing support system between my friends and family.
‘My boyfriend, Lloyd, was a real rock for me, and I will be eternally grateful to all of the doctors.’
Hulse and Lloyd married four years after her cancer battle, and she says they both share the same upbeat attitude about life.
Eight years on, she still undergoes MRI scans every four months to monitor for any signs of the cancer returning.
She has also chosen not to have children as the hormonal changes that come with pregnancy could spur on the disease’s reemergence.
Her message to others is simple but powerful: ‘Watch the words you say, and say thank you every day. My cancer diagnosis has taught me that life can change in a second.’
This article was originally published by a www.dailymail.co.uk . Read the Original article here. .