Pasco County woman's selfie leads to brain tumor diagnosis

TAMPA, Fla. - If you scroll through your phone, you might find hundreds, maybe even thousands of selfies. But when's the last time one of those pictures changed your life? For a Pasco County woman, it led to a brain tumor diagnosis.

Nearly a decade later, Megan Troutwine is a fighter, survivor and thriver, and she's giving back at the very place where she started as a patient.

During a trip to New York City, Troutwine took a selfie like so many tourists do as they enjoy The Big Apple. But if you look closer, you'll notice one of her eyes drooping.

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"I'm like, 'oh, that's weird. That picture looks weird,'" Troutwine said. "Little did I know."

When she got home to Hudson, she called a neurologist. 15 minutes after an MRI, Megan said, "I found out I had a meningioma."

It was a brain tumor. Though benign, hers was aggressive. 

With that 2016 diagnosis, Troutwine started treatment at Moffitt Cancer Center, which included surgery to remove the tumor, then a second surgery when doctors found more growth, followed by 23 rounds of radiation.

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Troutwine, a hardcore runner, was forced to slow her pace. If you know runners, that's no easy ask. She credits faith with pushing her through many dark days that followed.

"Dealing with the cognitive issues and dealing with the memory loss and stuff like that, that was probably the hardest, because I know that I'm smarter than that," Troutwine said. "I'm more capable than that. I can do more. But, it's learning how to give myself the grace in the midst, too."

Meningiomas, often benign, represent about a third of all primary brain tumors, occurring twice as often in women, according to the American Brain Tumor Association. Though not cancerous, these tumors are only really "benign" until they cause issues.

"If it's close to the brainstem, it can impact your swallowing and breathing," said Moffitt Cancer Center Neuro-Oncologist Dr. Sepideh Mokhtari. "If it's impacting the vision, it is very critical, then they remove the tumor. So, it all depends."

Throughout Megan's treatment, Dr. Mokhtari found another primary brain tumor. That time, it was a glioma.

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"It was very tiny," Dr. Mokhtari said. "And as we are following it over the years, we are seeing a little bit of increase in size over time."

Still, Troutwine considers herself lucky.

"I've lost so many friends to glioblastoma and, you know, there's over 40 different types of brain tumors," Troutwine said. "So, a low-grade glioma is like a blessed juxtaposition, I guess you could say, because it's like you're on a cliff, and you know what's going to happen. You know it will progress. You will have to do treatment for it. You know it may very well be what could jeopardize your mortality in the future. But, you know, at the same time, you're like waiting for it to do something."

Troutwine gets frequent checks at Moffitt, so doctors keep tabs on any growth. That is especially important after learning she carries the PTEN gene mutation, which puts her at greater risk for other cancers, which fortunately, doctors have been able to catch early.

"Her uterine cancer was detected pretty soon," Dr. Mokhtari said. "And she has had lumps and biopsies for her breasts as well. Luckily, none of them were cancerous." 

From patient to employee, Troutwine now works at Moffitt Cancer Center as a Health Unit Coordinator and volunteer Comfort Companion. 

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"It's even more of an honor to be able to pay back that love and to contribute to making it better for everyone else, too," Troutwine said.

It's a full circle moment and a chance to spread extra hope through those hallways. Troutwine's life may have changed drastically since that picture, but her smile and her faith are still shining bright.

"I pray I get to see a cure in my lifetime," Troutwine said. "And you know, it may not happen, but at the same time, to be a small piece of a big puzzle that helps work towards that is really, really cool."

Troutwine is starting to get some of her movement back and she a member of the planning committee for the Tampa Breakthrough for Brain Tumors 5K, hosted by the American Brain Tumor Association. It'll take place this Saturday, March 16th, at Al Lopez Park.

If you'd like to register for the run/walk or learn more about the work the ABTA does in the Bay Area and around the country, you can find more information at: give.Abta.Org/event/2024-bt5k-tampa/e531853.

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