8: Rediscovering Life After a Brain Tumor

Imagine only seeing a single number. Everywhere you look, all you can see is eight. You can’t spell your name. You can only draw a circle. You can’t add two plus three.

This was Nathalie Jacob’s life after an invasive brain surgery.

Nathalie hadn’t realized anything was wrong. She held a high-level job as a marketing executive and was discussing beginning a family with her husband when the doctors gave her the bad news. She had an intraventricular meningioma. She would need brain surgery.

In the aftermath of the operation, Nathalie experienced everything like a small child. She had to relearn how to do the simplest of tasks. In this inspirational memoir, Nathalie captures her unique delight at the simple wonders of life. She also candidly discusses some of the tragic consequences of the surgery and how she found a place of healing in the midst of all the negative news. Nathalie includes a chapter written by her husband and directed toward caretakers of patients in the same situation.

Nathalie’s memoir offers valuable insight into a complicated recovery process and shows the strength you can find in the darkest of circumstances.