When a softball becomes a blessing

From Geisinger media

Darnetta Yusko of Shavertown was at her daughter’s softball game in Philadelphia when the unexpected happened.

While watching her daughter from the stands, she was struck in the back of the head by a softball from another field. Ms. Yusko was certain she had a concussion, but weeks later, symptoms lingered. She had tingling in the right side of her face when she bent forward, and recurring headaches woke her from a sound sleep.

Doctors thought she was experiencing post-concussion syndrome, but an MRI of her brain revealed a tumor near her brain stem. It was a meningioma — a tumor that begins in the brain or spinal cord.

“The doctor said that impact from the softball may have shifted the tumor slightly, causing me to feel some symptoms and realize it was there,” Ms. Yusko said.

She was referred to Rafael Martinez-Perez, M.D., a Geisinger neurosurgeon who recommended taking a wait-and-watch approach.

“Some meningiomas grow slowly and may not cause immediate neurological symptoms,” Dr. Martinez-Perez said. “Skull base tumors like Darnetta’s require careful consideration to minimize risks and preserve functional independence.”

Ms. Yusko was uncomfortable with the approach and sought a second opinion.

“I went to another large health care system outside the area and had an awful experience,” she said. “I waited an hour-and-a-half to see the neurosurgeon. When I finally did see him, he had a terrible bedside manner. He told me he was not willing to perform surgery until I started having seizures. He said, ‘That’s it. You can take or leave it.’ He lacked empathy and professionalism.”

Ms. Yusko returned to Geisinger and met with Dr. Martinez-Perez. Together, they made a plan to repeat an MRI in six months to see how much the tumor had grown.

The MRI showed the tumor was growing quickly, and Ms. Yusko was having more symptoms.

“In Darnetta’s case, with the tumor growing at the base of the skull, it can pose significant risks due to the proximity to critical neurovascular structures,” Dr. Martinez-Perez explained. “The rapid growth was now causing compression of the brainstem, resulting in symptoms like facial pain, vision loss and gait disturbances.”

Dr. Martinez-Perez explained the surgery to Ms. Yusko. Because of its location, he would not be able to remove the entire mass. As the surgery date approached, Darnetta grew nervous.

“I told Dr. Martinez-Perez I was anxious and frankly terrified of brain surgery,” she recalls. “He looked at me and said, ‘I guarantee you I will treat you as if you are my own sister in that operating room.’ That made my anxiety melt away. His bedside manner was incredible, and he was so empathetic.”

Dr. Martinez-Perez found that the tumor was benign and a grade 1 meningioma, which means there is a small chance of it growing back.

“We closely monitor patients like Darnetta with annual follow-ups to ensure the tumor does not return,” Dr. Martinez-Perez said. “The likelihood of recurrence decreases over time post-surgery, but long-term surveillance is essential.

A scan in January 2024 showed no growth, and Darnetta is doing much better. She has some mild double vision from the tumor and the surgery that she corrects with glasses — but she can’t say enough about the care she received.

“I think people should know that we have this kind of care here in our backyard. Dr. Martinez-Perez was incredible,” she says. “Who would think getting hit in the head with a softball would turn out to be a blessing?”