Ronald Piscitello was only 47 years old when his life changed completely — not in an instant, but over the course of a long, confusing year. Today he is a changed man, and his wife and family are grateful to have him back after a frightening...
David “Smoky” Wurtzel, 91, of Windsor Terrace, Brooklyn, earned his nickname from a prep school teacher as a nod to the lit cigarette the young man always had in his hand. Smoky quit the habit 52 years ago, but he never did give up the nickname —...
At age 79, Barbara Rothenberg is the matriarch of a large, tightknit family. She presides over eight successful children — seven lawyers and a pediatric nurse practitioner — as well as 50 grandkids and 17 great-grandchildren. As the managing partner...
Rhys Gilyeat, 36, is a New York performer, musician, vocalist, and multidisciplinary artist focusing on illustration and mixed media. When he’s not performing or working on his art, he’s traveling internationally with his partner, Paul. “We’re...
Rod Nordland is an international correspondent at large for The New York Times. In 2019, while covering climate topics in India, he was suddenly diagnosed with glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), a malignant brain tumor. He wrote about his experience...
It came from out of nowhere. Jodi Brooks, 46, a managing partner at Finn Partners, a leading integrated marketing agency, had a sudden seizure while talking on the phone — her vision became fuzzy and words no longer made sense. Then her world went...
Lauren Babjak, better known to her more than 300,000 YouTube subscribers as “eLL cartoons,” is a 30-year-old animator from Tinton Falls, New Jersey. Based on her lighthearted stories, you wouldn’t think she’d recently faced an ordeal fewer than 1...
Eneida Ramos, 39, has a full, active life. At any given moment she may be found volunteering, painting, working on her DIY projects, or cuddling her baby boy. Nothing about her cheery demeanor would suggest that until recently her life had been on “...
Fortunately for Stephanie her tumor was low grade, with a much better prognosis than many other types of gliomas. “When treating brain tumors, we often deal with glioblastoma, which is a more serious matter,” says Dr. Ramakrishna. “But once we saw...
To say it was a bad trip would be an understatement. Adam Carroll, 33, was in New York on business when he suddenly lost consciousness. “I was rushed to hospital—and not sure what happened,” he recalls, “but I woke up surrounded by paramedics.”...
A woman with a debilitating meningioma finds relief – and understanding – at Weill Cornell Medicine
By Theodore H. Schwartz, M.D. In July 2009 I met a new patient, a writer named Peter Hyman. It’s not often that a neurosurgeon is faced with the prospect of operating on such a thoughtful, articulate, and inquisitive patient, which may be why I...
