Specialty: Neurosurgery
Barbara
Beat three brain tumors. Gave birth again.
When Barbara Higgins decided to have a baby in her mid-50s, it literally saved her life. But that happy new chapter came after the New Hampshire native’s life was first turned upside-down.
Before conceiving her son at 57, Barbara was diagnosed with three brain tumors. And sadly, that was soon after her daughter Molly died of her own brain tumor after a local hospital’s misdiagnosis.
An undetected brain tumor at the base of my daughter Molly’s skull ruptured and killed her …
Molly died on May 7, 2016. Tragically, it was the day before Mother’s Day.
I woke up and the first thing I noticed was that the sun was coming up and I just … I thought, ‘There’s no Molly, but that sun’s still up.’ It didn’t seem right.
Almost immediately, 56-year-old Barbara felt compelled to have another child.
Sadly, having another baby would be difficult for Barbara. Due to a painful chronic nerve condition called trigeminal neuralgia, she was in constant physical pain. Her only relief came from medications that would have been dangerous for an unborn child.
The list of medications I was on … you can’t take these pills pregnant.
Determined to find a different approach to deal with her chronic condition, a friend recommended Barbara visit Dr. Emad Eskandar, a world-renowned specialist four-and-a-half-hours away at Montefiore Einstein who immediately ordered an MRI. That’s when doctors made a horrific discovery.
They saw three tumors in my head. I just thought, ‘Why me? You know, like I haven’t had enough already?’ Molly’s dead, and now my poor daughter Gracie was just a basket case.
With my hands in his hands.
And Dr. Eskandar took my hands in his hands, and he said, “you just tell Gracie that we’ll take good care of you, and that you’re gonna be fine.”
Dr. Eskandar performed two operations: one to fix Barbara’s nerve pain, and another to remove her tumors.
“A big part of neurosurgery is the planning… there should be no surprises.”
I will never have any serious medical work done anywhere but Montefiore Einstein.
Barbara was impressed and profoundly comforted when she received Dr. Eskandar’s personal cell phone number and was encouraged to call with any questions or concerns.
I’ll often give patients my cellphone number … so I’m a mere text or phone call away.
Free of the medications she relied on for so long, Barbara’s nerve pain was gone and so were her tumors. But to Barbara, the most miraculous part of her medical journey was just starting.
I turned 57 on July 29th, and August 5th is when I found out that I was pregnant.
On the 20th of March, 2021, baby Jack was born.
I just know I was supposed to do this. My pregnancy and creating Jack was a mission I feel I was supposed to do.
Barbara Higgins
Grateful is an understatement.
After such dark times, Barbara Higgins is once again grateful for the sun. And she credits Montefiore Einstein with helping bring her back into the light.
I feel relieved that the sun still came back, even though I admonished it not to. The sun rises no matter what, as do I. Montefiore Einstein is a big piece of my sunrise.
Every day is a day to rise.
Meet the doctor from the story
More Stories
Anias & Jadon
The story of Anias and Jadon captured the attention of people around the world. They were born cranially conjoined, their brains intertwined.
Need Help Finding a Doctor?
Call 1-800-MD-MONTE (800-636-6683).