Amy's Story

A young and otherwise healthy mother of three, Amy Beale’s life changed in an instant in July 2020. “I was sitting at home and just had a seizure out of nowhere,” said Amy, who in a matter of hours was diagnosed with a brain tumor in a Rio Grande Valley emergency room. Amy’s husband, Bibb, CEO of a family healthcare company, immediately reached out to contacts in his personal and professional networks to find the best possible care for Amy’s illness.

Bibb was directed to Baylor by a neuroscientist at a top tier East Coast university who said “Texas is the leader in this. See Dr. Rao.” It was not long before Amy and Bibb made the trip to Baylor’s Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center for a consultation with Dr. Ganesh Rao, a renowned expert in brain tumor treatment and research. Amy calls the level of personal attention she received from Dr. Rao and her treatment team “a blessing” that gave her a lot of peace of mind. “I didn’t expect that in a big institution like Baylor,” recalls Amy.

Within days of Amy’s initial consultation, Dr. Rao conducted a delicate operation to remove her tumor wherein she was awake for the duration but felt no pain. Analysis of the removed growth indicated it was a stage 3 astrocytoma. Three days after the surgery, Amy was able to walk out of the hospital. “Looking at me, you wouldn’t know I had this surgery,” said Amy three months post-op. Currently on her road to recovery, Amy knows she and her family made the right decision for her care. “I’m so, so thankful we came to Baylor.”