NORTH OLMSTED, Ohio — This July will mark four years since 3News Senior Health Correspondent Monica Robins received a life-changing diagnosis: She had a brain tumor.
Doctors determined the veteran reporter had a sphenoid wing orbital meningioma. The tumor was in her skull, growing near her carotid artery and optic nerve.
Monica underwent her first surgery in October of that year. Cleveland Clinic surgeons removed as much as they could, hoping the tumor would be benign and wouldn't grow back.
The tumor is, in fact, benign. However, in 2021, a scan revealed the tumor did spread from her eye socket into her cavernous sinus. She underwent a second procedure in December of 2021, known as TONES surgery. TONES stands for "transorbital neuroendoscopic surgery," and this time, surgeons would attack the tumor, by going into Monica’s eyelid.
Her second surgery was much more difficult, physically, and mentally. She will undergo an MRI every six months to check whether her tumor is growing again.
Chris Blake and Susan Moses of our 3News Special Projects Team sat down with Monica recently to get an update on how she is doing as she approaches year four as a brain tumor survivor. They traded in the newsroom for a place where Monica lives her life to the fullest these days: Sly Fox Lounge in North Olmsted, one of the many rock and roll bars she plays with her band on weekends.
"It's one of Cleveland's legendary rock and roll bars, and I have graced that stage several dozen times," she said. "I take the day off work the day I have a band gig, which I never did before. I would go to work and then I change clothes at work and go hit the bar and jump on stage. I can't do that anymore."
We last sat down with Monica to talk about her health in January of 2022. Much has happened since then.
"I underwent [the] second brain surgery, the TONES procedure, where they went in through my eyelid because the tumor had spread," she explained. "The tumor that was in my eye socket had spread heading toward my cavernous sinus, so surgeons went through my eyelid and they drilled a bunch of tumor out as much as they could and, basically, bought me time.
"Even though it was minimally invasive, the recovery was a lot more difficult. I had more issues, and those are issues that [I just] have to live with."
Monica endured headaches that continue. She was more isolated during recovery because of the location of the wound and its increased risk of infection, and that's not all.
“My balance; I didn't realize that this [brain tumor] might have impacted that," she admitted. "And it may or may not, but I can tell you I had pretty good balance before I had brain surgery, so that's one of the things I'm working on now is getting my balance."
Monica works with trainer Lisa Ortiz three times a week. Of her client, Ortiz sees progress and frustration.
"Fitness-wise and balance-wise, she's like, 'I used to be able to do this,' Ortiz said of Monica. "I'm like, 'OK, but look at where you are six months later.' Yes, it took her a lot longer than maybe someone else to gain the balance to even stand on a BOSU Ball, it took her a lot longer than maybe my other clients because of what she's dealing with, but she just keeps pushing through.
"It is harder for her. She makes everything look easy, but it's not."
Every six months, Monica undergoes routine scans to see if her remaining tumor has changed or grown.
"This past October, I had a CT scan and my typical MRI, and usually the results hit MyChart before I get a chance to talk to my doctor," Moncia said. "I read everything and I know enough now that I know exactly what I'm reading, and I have never been happier to see myself described as 'unremarkable.' Unremarkable means nothing has happened.
"What they decided to do was start collecting tumors so they could make a database. I knew that that database wasn't really going to help me, but it may help somebody down the road 10, 15 years from now.
"I have a genetic mutation that is incredibly rare. I found out over the summer that I'm a 'unicorn' — there's only four people on the planet with my genetic mutation, and I'm the only one in the United States. Now, that just means I'm the only one discovered in the United States.
“The outpouring of support was just always incredible, and I know people are still thinking about me and praying for me, and I really do believe that's why I'm sitting here.
"There's always going to be 'Before the brain tumor' and 'After the brain tumor,' and my normal is just... it's new and it's different, but I keep pushing myself and challenging myself to see if I can get back to the old normal.
"This is the hand I was dealt, and I am bound and determined to live with it, and I'm not one to sit idly by and feel sorry for myself. The best possible news right now is I'm just living my life and I don't have to worry about anything until that scan in April. Right now, I'm just going to keep pushing myself and challenging myself and acting like I don't have a brain tumor, even though I know I do."
Watch Monica talk more about her tumor with Cleveland Clinic Dr. Mina Lobbous in the latest edition of her "Health Yeah!" podcast: