[MUSIC PLAYING] I had this spell of tingling and not be able to say what I wanted to say, and almost to the point where I thought I was having a stroke. So they checked everything out and they told me, Ms. Rose, we found a mass on your brain. 

This tumor is in probably the worst place that it could be. And my first thought was, my grandchildren will never remember me. So I saw a neurosurgeon here in Fredericksburg and he said, no surgeon is going to operate on your brain. I'll tell you somebody that will give you a second opinion, and that's Dr. Sheehan at UVA. And he said, and if I had to have my brain operated on, he would be the one at UVA to do it. 

Donna was told that there wasn't any treatment options for her. And she came to neurosurgery seeking care and seeking a source of hope. We were able to offer Donna stereotactic radiosurgery, a minimally-invasive procedure that could be done in under an hour. 

Most people that I talked to had never heard of a gamma knife. There were only a few gamma knives in the country. And UVA was one of those, and it was highly recommended. From the time I walked in the door till the time I left, they treat you like a person and not just a patient. They're compassionate and they're caring, and that's what has helped me through a lot of this. 

Patients come from around the world to be treated here, and certainly patients from throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia looking for hope and answers for their brain tumor problems. This procedure and the experience that our team has has really allowed us to give hope to patients where they really didn't have any before. 

I used to fear that my grandchildren would never remember me, but now, I don't think they'll ever forget me. 

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