Courtney Parnell - Meningioma Fund

2022 was a very memorable year for Courtney Parnell. She and her husband finally took their long-awaited honeymoon trip to the beautiful Dominican Republic. They welcomed some new furry, 4-legged family members, including Fernando the dog, who is never too far behind Courtney. She trained for and completed her first marathon! And she started her dream job, working as a nurse with the Central Minnesota Mental Health Center, helping people in her own community. By far though, the highlight of her year was spending time with family: husband Ryan, children, and bonus children (and their significant others!) Ariel and Joe, Haley and Ben, Gavin, Samson, Blake, Lily, and Juliet.

Early winter, Courtney started noticing something “off” with her left eye. Her vision was getting progressively worse, and it had become painful. By Christmas time it was obvious that something wasn’t right, so she made an appointment with her primary care physician. The original suspicion was a thyroid condition, but bloodwork revealed a perfectly healthy and functioning thyroid.

On 12/29, an MRI revealed a tumor in the left temporal part of her brain, pressing on her optic nerve. The diagnosis was Meningioma, a primarily benign tumor with defined borders that enables surgical removal. This is Courtney, we are talking about though. She can’t just have a normal brain tumor. After consulting with the surgical team, further scans revealed that the tumor is not just pressing on the optic nerve, it is surrounding it. On February 21st, Courtney will undergo an 8-hour temporal craniotomy. The surgeons will remove her brow bone and a portion of her skull, to access and remove as much of the tumor as possible. However, because of the location and the delicate nerves it surrounds, it is not expected that they will be able to remove the entirety. Once she has been cleared for additional treatment, she will have to undergo radiation, to minimize any further growth.

She will be monitored in the hospital for a week post-op, then will be able to return home for recovery. In about 6 weeks, she should be able to begin her new normal, which will take up to 6 months to get back to the Courtney we know and love today.

While this surgery will leave her with a cool new shaved hairstyle, it will also bring a lot of unforeseen expenses. Our goal is to raise $50,000, which will be used to cover the basic medical costs including tests, surgery, and any other post-op recovery expenses.

During this time, we want Courtney and her family to focus on recovery, not finances.

We are grateful for any and all donations and ask that you keep Courtney and her family in your thoughts.