State Sen. Darlene Fairley, D-Lake Forest Park, has announced she has a brain tumor and will be undergoing treatment this summer.
The tumor is called an acoustic neuroma, Fairley said in an e-mail to friends and staff members. While the tumor is benign, meaning it doesn’t spread to other parts of the body and isn’t cancerous, it is fast growing and is close to the nerves that conduct hearing. Fairley said that because of the tumor, she is now totally deaf in her right ear and has been told that regardless of treatment, the loss is permanent.
Fairley said she began noticing difficulty in hearing and ringing in her ear about 10 months ago. While a check up in December didn’t reveal the tumor, Fairley said her hearing grew worse which led to a visit to a specialist and the recent diagnosis.
Fairley said she will be treated at the House Ear Clinic in Los Angeles, a leader in treating such tumors, and will go there as soon as possible. Fairly said she expects to have surgery to remove the tumor.
According to information from the House clinic, acoustic neuromas account for approximately 6 percent of all brain tumors. These tumors occur in all races of people and have a slightly higher occurrence in women. In the United States about 10 people per million per year are diagnosed with an acoustic neuroma. This translates to roughly 2,500 newly diagnosed acoustic neuromas per year. Most acoustic neuromas occur spontaneously without any evidence of heredity links and are diagnosed in patients between the ages of 30 to 60.
Fairly said she has been told that after surgery to expect some impact to her facial nerves for four to five weeks, balance for three months and continued ringing in her ear.
Fairley represents the 32nd Legislative District, which includes Woodway and much of Edmonds.
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