Local student diagnosed with rare brain tumor inspired by care teams
FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – Local student Trista Husley was just 17 years old when she began experiencing extreme headaches as well as a large mass on her forehead.
Hulsey, originally from Visalia was taken to Community Regional Medical Center and it was there that doctors diagnosed her with an extremely rare type of tumor called Potts Puffy Tumor.
“We could see, when we examined her, she had some unusual swelling over her, her forehead that was a bit prominent,” said Dr. Nathan Deis, a neurosurgeon at Community’s Neurosciences Institute. “And then on her CAT scan, we could see that there was clearly a bad sinus infection going on. And then what looked to be puss both just on the outside part of the skull, but also inside as well, where the where the brain is.”
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Dr. Deis explained that Trista’s sinuses were not draining properly.
“He told me that I had developed a very rare infection called Pott’s Puffy Tumor that was eating at my brain and deteriorating it. There was air in my brain and It was growing on my frontal cranial bone,” said Hulsey.
Trista underwent emergency brain surgery followed by a 2-month hospital stay.
“It was pretty late at night by the time we operated on her. But there was a big team that had gathered. We were all concerned,” said Deis.
Following the surgery, and while in the hospital Trista was able to bond with her care team and learn about the world of medicine. It was there she realized she had an interest in the field.
“They would explain to me and talk to me in big medical terms,” she said. “I would ask them, what does that mean? And they were like, “Wow, Trista, you keep us on our toes.”
Trista said one nurse in particular, Laurena Gascon played an important role in her life.
“She hardly complained even if she was in pain, she would just tell you without giving you problems,” said Gascon.
Trista is now 19 years old and said her experience has inspired her to pursue a career in nursing.
“I want to be that for another person because they made me feel so special in such a hard time of my life when I didn’t know what was going to happen,” she said.
She is now a prenursing major at Fresno State and said she is grateful for the care teams she had at Community Regional Medical Center.
“I just want to say thank you to everybody who stepped in and whether they were my nurse or not,” she said. “They would come in there and talk to me and really build a bond with me and ask me about my life and not just about the case, they were very personable and I thank them for everything they did for me and for saving my life.”
