Hi, my name is Gina Lorello, formally Gina Hopkins. For those that know me, know I am easy going, fun loving, love life and living it for both myself and to better the lives of others.
Well you see my life over the past 7 years has been a rollercoaster, it wasn't always that way. Growing up I lived a pretty "normal" childhood, on LI in NY. Two loving parents, an awesome brother and a huge loving and supportive Italian family.
Fast forward to meeting the love of my life in college, getting married on the beach and super excited for what our futures had in store.
BOOM!
9 months into the "honeymoon" phase of marriage and my entire world was changed, as was my entire families too. I had a grand mal seizure in front of my husband one February morning and the rest hasn't been the same since. (Another post I will get into my pre seizure symptoms, Dr's miss diagnosing and much more detail as to how it all played out leading up to that moment in time.)
So back to the BOOM, the black out of my life. My husband and I were rushed to Stony Brook hospital to find out that I had a "giant mans fist sized tumor," taking up residence in my right frontal lobe. Not the kind of honeymoon phase we were expecting.
Calls were made, plans were set and prayers were said. I prayed to God that if he were to save my life and return me back to my family as me, that I would find a way to turn my pain into purpose. I would do all I could to help others in this life; to help them see just how blessed they truly are and to help them focus on those blessings and not on their burdens. Surgery was scheduled for 3 days later. No time to panic or plan, I knew then and there that this was going to be my fight. My test. My true testimony in this life.
Surgery was a success. My amazing surgeon, Dr. Galler even stated, " I scraped some of her skull where the tumor was attached to make sure I got everything that the human eye could see." He told us that "I was too young," he said that "you just don't see cases like mine come through those hospital doors." That's when I knew. There was something bigger than me involved. Some plan for my life.
I can't really explain, but the best way to describe what happened to my life since that day is nothing short of a miracle. I feel as though my surgeon gave me "new corneas" in which to view the world. I guess when life truly flashes or in my case blacks out; before your eyes, life and everything in it starts to become real. You realize the gift of today, the blessing in a single breathe and even beauty in the "thorns" in life. For without pain there is no pleasure, without rain there is no rainbow and without tears there is no joy.
So my "new life" (AT- after tumor) was going to be nothing that I could have ever imagined. It has been even more beautiful, more meaningful and filled with so much more purpose, that there are days I feel as though I can't hide my excitement of just being here.
Thanks for stopping by and taking a read. I can't wait to share with you, so much more of my recovery and where I am today because of that very day. From starting a team, Gina's Army that helps raise funds for The National Brain Tumor Society and now to becoming a "girl boss" of my very own small business RedDoorIndustries.com.
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