My Story

Me and my momma!

The MRI results delivered the most devastating news of my life — I had a meningioma brain tumor the size of a baseball pressed up against my right optic nerve, carotid artery and sinus cavity. The irony wasn't lost on me and my husband, a major league pitcher at the time. My neurosurgeon was stunned I'd even walked into his office or hadn't already slipped into a coma. He told my husband I was days away from slipping into a coma and dying. I was only 32 at the time.

Embracing my miracle Hannah.

Eight days after my devastating diagnosis, I underwent a challenging and delicate 12-hour surgery to successfully remove the tumor that had invaded my brain and my life. Even with my old roommate on its own now, doctors told me my best and only chance of ever becoming a mother, save for adoption, would be in-vitro fertilization.

I thought my dreams of becoming a mom were forever shattered when four months after my first surgery, I underwent a second emergency surgery to drain excess CSF(cerebrospinal fluid.) Recovery started all over again and I was devastated. I struggled with words and wondered if I'd ever write again.

However, five months after my second surgery I became pregnant au naturel. I was elated to prove medicine wrong. My healthy miracle daughter, Hannah Elizabeth, arrived on my mother's birthday on September 6, 2000--what a special gift. And my miracle son, Hunter, made his early debut on April Fools 2004.

It wasn't until after my surgeries that I began meeting others with a meningioma. Too many in fact. It was comforting to strike up conversations with people who'd walked in my shoes. We understood one another because of our shared deficits or similar side affects from anti-seizure medication. And we could poke fun at each other too — "I have a brain tumor, what's your excuse?!"

I often wished I'd met these survivors before my surgery. If only I'd known what to expect. What my husband, family and neighbors — my caregiver network, could have anticipated and what they could have done differently. Just to know that my simple partial seizures had a chance of haunting me again like they did two years after surgery. No one knows how to adequately prepare for brain surgery or the outcome, but if there was a way to soften the shock and unite with others, I wanted to discover it.

I dreamed of creating a forum where I could share my story and tell others that a brain tumor doesn't have to be a death sentence. I wanted an alternative to numbers, percentages and grim statistics — there were enough of those discouraging places out there. I'd been given a second chance and a new lease on life. I wanted to encourage others and share my message that you have to trust your body's signals, your instincts and your inner voice.

I wanted this to be a place that offered support while providing encouragement and inspiration at the same time. If I could help just one person.

Hunter, my miracle little man.

I was given that chance not long after my surgeries when one of my neighbors knocked on my door.  I was taken aback by the pained look of concern in his eyes, but it was far greater than I expected.

"Liz, tell me everything you know about a meningioma. I have one." Like me, my neighbor had a baseball-sized meningioma, but it was located in an even more delicate area — between his eyes. To know that I could encourage and guide a neighbor throughout his brain tumor journey was gratifying. If I could impact a neighbor just a few steps away, couldn't I reach others and form a support system?

In 2003, I finally gave birth to my brain child---Meningioma Mommas, a non-profit foundation with a  unique 24/7 online forum, which offers hope, friendship and laughter to those newly diagnosed as well as to long term survivors and caregivers during their journey.

Why the name? When I was first diagnosed, I had difficulty pronouncing meningioma, let alone spelling it. And even though my doctors were skeptical I'd ever become pregnant, I did. My meningioma didn't stop me from becoming a mother. And it hasn't stopped me from continuing my roles as wife, daughter, sister, friend, writer ... For me,  becoming a brain tumor survivor has brought me numerous blessings. 

It has also led me to increasing awareness about this mistakenly labeled "benign" brain tumor. I don't consider life altering deficits caused by a brain tumor, which impact the quality of our lives, benign by any means.

I am determined to become the FACE OF MENINGIOMA since the other Liz (Taylor, yes she is a long-term meningioma survivor) hasn't.  

And it doesn't end there. I am commited to raising critical funding ONLY for meningioma specific research and hope to raise $1 million dollars in my lifetime. To date, Meningioma Mommas has raised $145,000 toward my goal.

I have also established Hunter's Hope Chest in honor of my son to study the effects of AED's (anti-epiletic drugs) on pregnant women and the effects AED's have on infants who are breastfed.

It's amazing how little time it took for us to form a community of over 4,000 "mommas and poppas"  and counting from all over the country with an international impact as far reaching as Afghanistan, Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Israel, Japan, Lithuania, Norway, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the Ukraine. I'm sorry it had to be a meningioma brain tumor that connected us, but I'm happy that we can walk this journey together, which can be just as empowering as it is frightening.

Whatever your needs, I hope you'll find this website to be a source of comfort, information, and understanding. Even though we all have compassionate spouses, family members, friends and caregivers in our lives, we often find it's much easier to share our concerns, fears and doubts with those who've walked in our shoes. That's what we're here for. Whether you were recently diagnosed with a meningioma brain tumor or are a long-term survivor, we welcome you.

I am honored to share that on February 11, 2009, I celebrated my "second chance" anniversary. I can finally say I am an nine-year meningioma survivor! Yes, there is life after a brain tumor diagnosis.

*Since Liz founded Meningioma Mommas, she has been honored with the Woman's Day "Women Who Inspire Us" award;  is the recepient of the  2006 Tim Gullikson Spirit Award; has received Denver's ABC "7 EveryDay Hero" and Denver's NBC "9Who Care" awards and has appeared on the Discovery Health Channel, the TODAY Show and local television and in print to share her remarkable story while inspiring others.  She also serves on the board of trustees for the Brain Science Foundation.

For more information about Liz, visit her writing website at www.lizholzemer.com  Her book Curveball: When Life Throws You A Brain Tumor  is a 2008 Colorado Authors' League "Harvey" Award Winner for Book Length Nonfiction.

Liz donates a percentage of every sale of her book to meningioma research. 

To order your copy today, kindly visit:

http://testarea3.com/index.php?manufacturers_id=18

Liz also speaks around the country to share her "second chance" story while increasing awareness. She has addressed audiences for the American Association of Neurological Surgeons,  American Association of Women, Brain Science Foundation, Brain Tumor Foundation, Brain Tumor Society,  Brigham & Women's Hospital, City of Hope, Colorado Authors' League, Douglas County Libraries, Hoag Hospital Cancer Center, Legacy Brain Foundation, Lions Club, National Brain Tumor Foundation, Sutter Neuroscience Institute, and the University of California San Francisco.

"Liz Holzemer speaks passionately and with experience regarding meningiomas and the effects of the diagnosis on the life of not only the patient but that of their family. Her knowledge of the disease and her ability to articulate both the physical and emotional impact of the disease make her a dynamic speaker."--Dr. Peter McLaren Black, Chair of the Department of Neurosurgery at Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston; the Franc D. Ingraham Professor of Neurosurgery at Harvard Medical School; the Chief Neurosurgical Oncology at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute; and Neurosurgeon-in-Chief at Children's Hospital, Boston.

"Liz Holzemer has given presentations at three consecutive annual meetings  of the Brain Tumor Foundation. These meetings--Brain Tumor Awareness Day-- usually draw an audience of 300-400 people. Liz, herself, is a brain tumor survivor. She is a natural, engaging, confident and enthusiastic speaker who is always a "hit" whenever she gives a presentation. Her talks are well presented and full of useful information. I would recommend her as an invited speaker for public events."--Dr. Patrick Kelly, MD FACS; NYU Medical Center & President of the Brain Tumor Foundation

"With a perfect balance of wisdom and wit drawn from personal experience, Liz connects to her audience through both mind and heart."--Sarah Gupta, LICSW, Director of Support Services; Brain Tumor Society

"Liz has been involved and engaged with our organization for many years as a support group leader, partner, and conference speaker. We have really enjoyed working with Liz over the years.  Her enthusiasm, determination, hard work and what she has built is a true inspiration to the brain tumor community. 

"Liz spoke to the Colorado Authors’ League on 'The Holy Grail--Odyssey from Brain Tumor survivor to Book Deal.' She dealt with a potentially dark topic with humor and lightness, making her a delight to listen to."--Cindy Rold, President; Colorado Authors' League.