“I had a golf ball-sized meningioma taken out of brain and was so impressed by the help I got at UCLA Health that when I had the chance to give back, I gave something back,” explains Brad Lusk. Lusk underwent a 14-hour surgery to remove a very healthy and growing tumor. “I had 30 radiation shots to kill what remained of the tumor. Then, nine years later, the other side of the tumor started to grow. I went back and did another 30 blasts of radiation. Joining the Neurosurgery Patient’s Family Advisory Council with other like-minded souls has been really good. We wanted to give back to UCLA Health, so we talk with people who are either going to have surgery or just had surgery. We link up the same types of tumors so we can say ‘I know what it’s like.’ Their lives will never be the same, but we want to give them some hope.”

Tags: featured, meningioma, Neurosurgery, Patient and Family Advisory Council, Patient Story, radiation, tumor