“It all started on March 9, 2009. I was 39 years old. I was feeling tired for some time. One day, I started seeing double and felt a paralysis that eventually affected a whole part of my face.” A little bit later, Florence learnt that she had a brain tumor. Despite several unsuccessful attempts of treatments, Florence did not admit defeat and continued her search, hoping to find other treatment options. She was made aware of the CyberKnife® System. “When I learned that I was going to be treated by the CyberKnife, I regained hope. All I wanted to do was to get better, especially for my son, I didn’t want him to be alone. I told him the truth and explained that I was going to have a new treatment.
I started the treatment in March 2010. In total, I had 5 sessions of one hour each. Shortly after the last session, the doctor noted a reduction in the tumor. The first session was a little bit difficult because I was stressed, but I quickly adjusted, and after a few sessions I wasn’t afraid anymore. I tolerated my treatment very well, I was never anxious, I told myself that worse case scenario, I would go back see my little robot, I humanized it.
Once my treatment was over, I quickly got my confidence for the future back, and I felt less tired. The great thing was that I had no side effects; I could do everything I was doing before. After my treatment, I returned to work half-time very quickly, because it was possible for me to work normally again.
What was most difficult for me was that, unconsciously, some people around me were looking at me differently, and I sometimes had the impression to have to prove my abilities all over again.
In the beginning, I was going for a check-up every 6 months; now, it’s only once a year.
There are so many people who don’t know about the CyberKnife System and everything that this technique can do. I wish more people could have access to it.”
As of the creation of this patient profile, Florence found her CyberKnife treatment to be successful.
