M.C. Strong

"What I want people to know is to listen to their bodies. Our bodies tell us when things aren't right."

It all started with a headache. The difference was, this headache kept reoccurring and increased in pain as the days, and yes, months, passed by. "The pressure was sometimes so bad it felt like full head attacks. I was told sinusitis, migraine, and I thought it was a symptom of peri-menopause. I just kept dealing with it and popping Excedrin Migraine pills like they were candy," said Mary Catherine Strong (M.C.) as she began to tell the story of her horrific, yet miraculous recent journey.

At the beginning of 2010, M.C. was dealing with frequent headaches, severe tiredness and occasional full "head-attacks". She began to feel a real disconnect from her friends and got to where emptying the dishwasher and making the bed were almost more than she could do. But she forged ahead, spending a week of vacation in Aruba and preparing herself for a cruise in March. Although, she felt terrible, she packed up and set sail. During the cruise, things began to go very wrong for M.C. Tortured by headaches, she mostly stayed in her cabin. She was so sick that when she did venture out, she could not find her way back and began to be unable to put her clothes on properly. The Monday after her return, as M.C. got in the shower, she no longer knew how to turn on the hot water. Scared, she called for her husband, David. Awaiting a MRI appointment, on Wednesday she decided to have lunch with friends. She had another paralyzing "head attack", and by 4:30 p.m., her life would be changed forever. Although no one told her what was wrong, she and David were sent directly to Savannah to see a specialist. "I knew something was really wrong, so I made David stop at Dairy Queen. I told him 'if I'm checking out, I want a banana split.'"

Moments after arriving in Savannah, M.C. and David met Dr. Willard Thompson, a neurosurgeon, who "delivered the most devastating news of my life - I had a brain tumor the size of an orange pressed up and squeezing deeply into my brain. He told us I could have been maybe days, maybe weeks, away from slipping into a coma and possibly dying." The only solution was immediate brain surgery. "I didn't even know this doctor. I didn't have my phone or a computer with me so I couldn't do any research on brain tumors, my options, or who this guy was. How could I make any decisions?"

Dr. Thompson explained the possible implications of her situation. Permanent paralysis, blindness, loss of speech, and death were all very real possibilities. He admitted M.C. into Memorial Hospital that night where many scenarios and questions ran through her head: should she go to Duke for the procedure? Should she get a second opinion? She wanted to see her son; and would she make it through?

"I woke up in such peace. I knew that God had brought me here [to Memorial] and paired me with Dr. Thompson. I had wanted to put my hands into it and control it, but I decided to take myself out of it and let God be in control." M.C. did ask to delay the surgery until Monday. She had been told to get her affairs in order and she wanted the weekend at home to do so. Pumped up on mega-doses of prednisone, she left the hospital to spend possibly one last weekend at home. Beyond all the legal stuff to prepare, and the who, what and where to hold the services, if needed, M.C. had five wishes.

"My mother is one of seven siblings and my number one aunt and number seven aunt had not spoken in years. My first wish was that they make up. I asked my mother to call. She did, but really thought it wouldn't work. But the two sisters ended up talking and working things out. What a gift!"

"My son, Forrest, came home from college and our relationship morphed into exactly what it's supposed to be. He is my only child, from a previous marriage. He wanted to know where it would leave him with David, his stepfather, if I didn't make it. David had tried to legally adopt him when he was in the ninth grade, but things did not work out. We called an attorney and he advised that since Forrest was 22-years old, he could legally change his name. So we began the process and he is now Forrest Strong. This was another wonderful gift."

"Then there were a couple relationships where I felt I did wrong and I needed to ask to be forgiven. I was able to right those wrongs that very weekend. This was my third wish. We're all going to die, so why don't we take care of these things now and live life with love and peace?"
After eight hours in the operating room, M.C. awoke in the recovery room to the sound of two nurses conversing about how tired they were and how they wanted a glass of wine. M.C. surprised them when she muttered that she wanted a glass too!

This early sign showed that M.C. had not lost her speech. After a brief, three-day hospital stay, M.C. was released. Two weeks later the pathology report came back benign. She recently had her six-month check-up and there were no signs of reoccurrence. "They told me all the bad things that could happen, but they never told me I could be this good, this soon!"

Up Close:

About her Husband: "David was amazing through all of this - he became my brains!"
A Message From God: "He told me that I was making it [religion] too complicated. It's all about love."
The Dog in the Picture: That's Champ -M.C.'s first dog ever. Joanna Yarborough told her about Champ at a Pink Partini. The next day she phoned and told M.C. that "Champ had her eyes." So she drove over and got him.
Lessons Learned: "He [Jesus] is my source of life, my strength, my comforter, my healer and most of all, my Savior!"
Listen To: "Each of us has an inner voice - listen to it. Mine was screaming and I ignored all the signs and signals."
The Other Two Wishes: To go to Paris and to get a pool, which she is still working on.
Truly Appreciates: "I am forever grateful for the cards, prayers and good wishes. The strength of the prayers were felt and experienced in a deep way, which I consider to be miraculous. HE hears the petitions of HIS people."