Tumor slows down Donna Rosiere but doesn't dampen spirit
Staff reporter
When Donna Rosiere enters a room, the first thing people notice is her warm smile.
These days, the second thing that is noticed is her head.
"How do you like my haircut?" she asks with a smile.
A pink scar on the left side and evidence that her head was shaved not so long ago, indicates that something has happened.
The 50-year-old Florence resident is recovering from brain surgery when two tumors were removed. Well, actually, it's more like skull surgery because the actual brain was not involved in the operation.
It all started 18 months ago when Rosiere began to experience aches and pains, particularly in her left leg and hip.
"I'd go for an (chiropractic) adjustment and it felt better," Rosiere said.
She then began to notice that her left leg was dragging and she couldn't bend her left ankle.
"I chalked it up to age, being active, and stress," Rosiere said. After all she and Billy were putting in long days at their business, Marion Dry Cleaning & Laundry, that they purchased from Ron Widler in January 2004.
Not only was the couple taking care of Marion area customers on a daily basis, they were picking up and delivering dry cleaning twice weekly at Hillsboro, and once a week at Herington and Council Grove. It was demanding for the couple.
Donna did the pressing at the Marion store and Billy did the driving and maintained the store's equipment.
So, Rosiere had reason to believe that life may have been causing her distress.
One doctor told Rosiere her symptoms might have been related to a motor skills problem, since there were no headaches.
By the last week of March, Rosiere and her husband went to her brother's retirement party and she had difficulty getting in and out of her vehicle.
"The next thing was my speech," Rosiere said. "I could cover it up pretty well."
Words that began with "h" or "w" were the worst. She chalked it up to stress.
"We were having an employee shortage," Rosiere recalled, making the work day longer and more stressful.
Both she and Billy were looking forward to a vacation at Omaha Beach in the Missouri Ozarks.
"I thought the vacation would help with the stress and maybe these symptoms would go away," Rosiere said.
They were to be gone June 9-16, and during that time their business would be closed.
On the way, they stopped at Kansas City to see Donna Rosiere's twin sister, Jaccie (pronounced Jackie) Blaszczyk (pronounced Blazic).
On June 13, Donna Rosiere didn't feel well and had a headache.
"It was more of a head pain on my left side than a headache," she explained. The pain became so intense that she sought medical treatment at an urgent care facility at Omaha Beach.
"They gave me a shot and said if it didn't help to go to the hospital," Rosiere said.
By 7 p.m., she was vomiting and the pain had intensified. Billy took his wife to the local hospital.
A CT scan revealed two tumors. Billy's response to the doctor's report was to "get them out." The couple had a choice of hospitals — one in Columbia or Wesley Medical Center in Wichita. The couple decided they wanted to be closer to home and chose Wesley.
Rosiere was to fly out of Missouri in an EagleMed airplane that evening but the weather didn't allow the flight. Instead she was flown the morning of June 15.
Sister Jaccie called Rosiere's four other siblings and told them the news.
"I don't remember much about flying to Wichita because of the medication," Rosiere said. "I remember being in a room with family members around me."
Surgery was performed the next morning. Four hours of waiting resulted in the surgeon informing the family that a tumor, the size of a lemon, was removed from the left side of her head. A smaller tumor, about the size of a peanut, which was causing her speech problems, was removed from the back of her head.
Rosiere had meningioma tumors. Luckily, these types of tumors typically are benign because they are encased. The growths are located on the brain, not in the brain. Therefore, it really wasn't brain surgery but the skull was opened and the tumors removed.
"The doctor said he was able to remove it all," Rosiere said.
Following two nights in the intensive care unit, Rosiere was moved to a room on the surgery floor.
Miraculously, she was discharged from the hospital June 20, four days after the surgery.
"Hospital personnel told me it was remarkable how I recovered so quickly," Rosiere said.
In 2003, the Rosieres moved from Texas to Florence, Bill's hometown, to care for Bill's mother until her death in 2005.
The couple have been married for 27 years.
Grateful for help
While Rosiere continues her recovery, Jaccie is staying with the couple.
"We are extremely grateful to Ron (Widler) and (former employee) Wendy Steele," Rosiere said.
Widler, the former owner of the business, had called Bill Rosiere June 18 and told him he would operate the business as long as necessary.
"It was such a big relief for both Bill and I," Rosiere said, because while the business was closed, the couple had no income.
Also helping the couple is Rosiere's nephew, Ben Blaszczyk, who can stay in Marion and work for his aunt and uncle as long as needed.
Janice Shanklin, Rosiere's sister-in-law, stayed with Rosiere when she first came home while Bill worked at the store and before Jaccie arrived.
Jaccie's employer, WorldSpan, was able to set up a virtual office so she can continue to work from the Rosiere home in Florence. She plans to stay until after Labor Day.
Like many self-employed people, the Rosieres do not have major medical insurance.
The bills continue to come in and total about $90,000 at this point.
"They'll get paid but it's going to take some time," Rosiere said.
What's next?
Since her dismissal, Rosiere has been rehabilitating at home with various exercises — for her body and brain.
Simple, daily activities that require eye-hand coordination are taken for granted, Jaccie said. Rosiere particularly notices the after-effects of her surgery when she operates the computer.
As she concentrates on the process of operating the computer, Rosiere notices changes.
"Since my head was opened up, my head sweats and is warm to the touch," Rosiere said.
Doctors will give Rosiere a checkup Aug. 3.
"They'll check me for bleeding," she said.
Since everybody heals differently, Rosiere keeps a progress report, jotting down her activities.
"Fatigue can set in rather easily," she said, so she takes two naps daily — one in the morning, and one in the afternoon.
About meningioma
A type of tumor, meningioma develops from the meninges, the membrane that surrounds the brain and spinal cord. Most meningiomas are categorized as benign tumors. However, the word "benign" can be misleading in this case, because these tumors can grow and constrict and affect the brain which could cause disabilities and even be life-threatening.
In most cases, as in Rosiere's, meningiomas grow slowly and may be relatively large before they cause symptoms.
The tumors are most common in people between the ages of 40 and 70, and are more common in women than men.
Meningiomas may cause seizures, headaches, and neurological defects, such as vision loss or arm or leg weakness, as Rosiere experienced. Patients often have subtle symptoms for a long period before the meningioma is diagnosed.
Rosiere is lucky — she has support from her family, the Florence community, the Marion business community, and is regaining her health.
And her smile continues to brighten a room.
