As a mom of three, Andrea Miller always stays on the move 鈥 shuttling kids to sports and activities, volunteering and, recently, working with children who have learning needs before they enter school.
So when she woke up in severe pain one morning, she tried to brush it off.
鈥淭his excruciating pain was in my lower back, shooting down the back of my leg,鈥 she says. 鈥淎nd I have a pretty high tolerance for pain.鈥
An MRI revealed a serious tumor in her spinal cord 鈥 so serious that she鈥檇 need surgery, and she was told she may never walk again.
But after a fateful moment that she believes was divine intervention, Miller found herself making an appointment with , a neurosurgeon at Rush who specializes in spinal surgery.
That moment led her exactly where she needed to be. Now she shares her story to inspire others who might feel hopeless. Here鈥檚 how it happened.
They said she may never walk again
As Miller鈥檚 pain worsened, she first saw a local orthopedist for an MRI. The follow-up call left her shaken.
鈥淗e said, 鈥榃e think we see a spot on your spinal cord. It looks like a tumor,鈥欌 Miller says. 鈥淭hat completely caught me off guard. Suddenly I felt like I couldn鈥檛 do anything.鈥
Miller then visited a surgeon who wasn鈥檛 confident in performing the invasive surgery she needed, and he wasn鈥檛 sure she鈥檇 ever walk again after the procedure.
A second specialist felt too pushy 鈥 and he agreed that she may never walk again.
鈥淚 couldn鈥檛 even imagine having a two-and-a-half-year-old daughter and never being able to walk,鈥 Miller says.
After going home in tears, Miller turned to the internet. Advice from local social media groups urged her to go to Chicago for care.
Even though it meant a long drive from home near St. Charles, she started researching specialists in the city.
A lifechanging coincidence
While searching online for top spine tumor surgeons in Chicago, she clicked on one of the first results 鈥 just as a text message came to her phone.
鈥淢y friend texted me, 鈥楬ey, my husband went to college with a friend, and he studied with this doctor, John O鈥橳oole,鈥 Miller says.
When she looked back at her screen, she realized O鈥橳oole鈥檚 profile was the exact web page she had just opened.
鈥淚 get chills just thinking about it,鈥 Miller says. 鈥淚鈥檓 like, 鈥楾his is just amazing. This is totally a God thing. How did this all happen? You and I are both looking at this doctor at the same time.鈥欌
She called the next morning to schedule her visit. Within 24 hours, she was in O鈥橳oole鈥檚 office.
鈥淗e walked in the room, and I just felt this confidence like I had never felt with any of the other doctors I had met,鈥 she says. 鈥淚 said, 鈥業鈥檓 so scared.鈥 And he said, 鈥榊ou鈥檙e good. This is what I do.鈥 I thought, 鈥極K, this is where I鈥檓 supposed to be.鈥欌
What is myxopapillary ependymoma?
Miller鈥檚 tumor needed urgent treatment, so her surgery was scheduled for a week later.
鈥淭his type of tumor, a myxopapillary ependymoma, is technically a benign tumor,鈥 O鈥橳oole says. 鈥淏ut as it grows slowly, it can start to fill up the space where the nerves are in your lower back.鈥
As the tumor expands, it can press on the spinal cord. That can cause severe pain, as it did for Miller. It can also lead to numbness, tingling or weakness in the legs 鈥 and even problems with bladder and bowel control.
Even though this type of tumor isn't malignant, O鈥橳oole notes, it can spread.
鈥淪ometimes little cells break off and float around in the spinal fluid and lodge somewhere else,鈥 he says. 鈥淭hat basically means from the brain all the way down to the sacrum 鈥 wherever the spinal fluid is circulating.鈥
How to remove a spine tumor
The procedure O鈥橳oole recommended is called a laminectomy.
鈥淚t involves opening up the back part of the spine to access the spinal canal,鈥 O鈥橳oole says. 鈥淲e have to open the coverings of the spinal fluid and nerves, called the dura.鈥
The surgery can be challenging. Nerves in the spine can wrap around or travel through the tumor. The surgeon needs to carefully remove as much of the tumor as possible without affecting normal nerve functions.
Miller鈥檚 surgery took about three hours.
鈥淲e were able to get the whole tumor out without any change in her neurological function,鈥 O鈥橳oole says.
"I was in the hospital for a few days, but I was walking the next day,鈥 Miller says. 鈥淚 was doing stairs, walking the halls.鈥
She went home to finish recovering with a few limitations. But within two months, she was fully clear to get back to all of her day-to-day activities.
鈥淭here was no pain afterward,鈥 she says. 鈥淣o side effects. Back to living my normal life.鈥
Same life, new gratitude 鈥 and new family doctor
Today, Miller is back to her busy routine as a mom.
鈥淏eing able to go back to working out, being able to ride bikes with my kids and go roller blading and do activities that we enjoy 鈥 it feels like nothing has changed,鈥 she says.
But some things are a little different.
She鈥檚 now using her degrees and background in social work to help kids in early intervention programs transition to school.
鈥淢y oldest actually went through early intervention when he was younger for speech and occupational therapy, so it means a lot to me,鈥 Miller says.
She鈥檚 also found ways to show gratitude to the surgeon who helped change her life 鈥 starting with her own family. Not long after surgery, her husband started having back problems of his own.
"And I said, 鈥榃ell, you鈥檙e only going to see O鈥橳oole, so let鈥檚 start there,'鈥 she says. 鈥淣ow he鈥檚 two for two with our family as far as successful surgeries.鈥
Miller says that both acquaintances and people online have reached out to her for advice after her experience.
"I have confidently been able to say, 'Go see John O鈥橳oole. He is amazing. Before you waste your time on anyone else, he鈥檚 just wonderful,鈥欌 she says.
O鈥橳oole also has advice for anyone having symptoms like Miller's.
鈥淚f it's not just back pain, but shooting pain down the legs, or you lose sensation or strength in a limb, or you're noticing significant change in your bladder or bowel function, these are red flags,鈥 he says. 鈥淭hey suggest you should undergo advanced imaging like MRI to rule out anything concerning.鈥
He also advises seeing a surgeon who specializes in spinal tumors and will work with a team of experts from many fields on your case. That鈥檚 one benefit of going to a place like Rush.
Miller agrees that finding the right care can make all the difference.
鈥淵ou might have to travel, but it鈥檚 so worth it. This is your body. You only have one,鈥 she says. "That鈥檚 why if I see somebody say, 鈥業鈥檓 willing to travel,鈥 I say, 鈥楥ome to Chicago. Come see Dr. O鈥橳oole,鈥 because he just means the world to my family.鈥
If you have concerning spine tumor symptoms or you鈥檇 like a second opinion on a spine tumor diagnosis, call Rush at (888) 352-7874. You can also learn more on our Spine Surgery 海角原创 page.
