Finding the beauty in a trying situation

For the majority of individuals, Nov. 16, 2006, was just another day on the calendar. For Jackie Pilla, it changed her life - it was the day she found out she had a brain tumor.

Pilla is a 1995 university alumna who was named Miss Delaware U.S.A. in 1999. Throughout her years as a student and as Miss Delaware U.S.A., she was experiencing the symptoms of her brain tumor.

Pilla says the most difficult symptom for her to deal with was depression. She was diagnosed with depression and had been in treatment for for several years. She underwent psychotherapy and medication, but nothing was effective.

Four years ago, Pilla's problems with her memory and balance began. She would run into walls and then laugh it off.

"I would just joke and say I'm clumsy because that's what I thought," Pilla says.

It became increasingly frustrating for Pilla once she saw herself changing as a person.

"I used to be very sharp, quick, on-the-ball, and I wasn't like that anymore," she says.

This point was especially difficult because she felt as though she was the only one who was aware of the change. She says people around her didn't notice her symptoms because she could still function well.

"They would say, 'Look at how well you're doing, look at how successful you are, it can't be that big of a deal,' " Pilla says.

Yet she noticed the change, and her symptoms continued to worsen. Pilla says her migraine headaches, which she had experienced for approximately six to eight years, grew longer and more intense. Her doctor ordered that she have an MRI, through which he discovered she had a type of brain tumor called meningioma.

Pilla first heard the news when driving home from work. She talked to a physician's assistant who would only say she had enlarged brain tissue.

"After that I had a half hour drive home," she says. "I was thinking a million different things."

Pilla says she was in a state of disbelief for a few months.

"I think I was in shock," she says.

On Nov. 26, 2007, she underwent a craniotomy to remove the tumor. She had met with her surgeon previously.

"He said it looked atypical," Pilla says. "They wanted to remove it to make sure."

The surgery was a success and the tumor was removed. She returned to work as a school counselor three weeks later.

"After four weeks, I knew that that had changed my life," she says. "I felt like this heavy gray cloud was gone."

Pilla says she has more energy than she did before the surgery and is also happier and more optimistic.

She had an MRI in February 2007 to see if there had been any change, and again in August 2007, which revealed everything has been clear.

"I haven't had a migraine since," she says.

During the time she was coping with her brain tumor, Pilla says she joined an online support group, where many of the members had the same symptoms as her.

"They were told by their doctors they weren't related," she says.

However, those who had the craniotomy no longer had depression. Pilla says this is something of which individuals must be made aware.

"We need to educate people so they know to raise the question, 'Is it a brain tumor?' " she says.

Today, Pilla works in Phoenix, Ariz., where she raises brain tumor awareness among the public. She hosted the GetYourHeadInTheGame Awareness Walk on Saturday at Dravo Plaza at Riverfront Wilmington. The walk was sponsored by the Kelly Heinz-Grundner Brain Tumor Foundation, which was started by Chris Grundner in honor of his wife Kelly, who died of a tumor at age 31.

The day of the walk was officially declared Brain Tumor Awareness Day, and all the activities promoted awareness and early detection of brain tumors. There was a two-mile walk, and an inspiration wall displaying photos, letters and related items to honor and memorialize those who have had or died from a brain tumor.

Pilla says it's important for individuals to monitor their own health. She says being diagnosed with a brain tumor is difficult to accept, and is life changing for everyone involved. However, it's not something to run away from.

"Pay attention to your body and trust your instincts," she says. "Don't be afraid of what you might find out."

After facing her diagnosis and successfully having her brain tumor removed, Pilla is finally able to live a life full of excitement and enthusiasm. This is why, she says, it's so important for individuals to know what is happening with their health.

"What some people think was the most horrible thing in the world turned out to be the greatest thing that happened to me," Pilla says.