Amanda Monnin, 35, said on April 5, 2018 while doing therapy sessions at Children’s Home of Cincinnati, she suffered a massive seizure that led doctors to discover a golf ball-sized tumor growing on her brain.
“It was hard to comprehend things that were thrown at me,” she said.
The surgery was successful. However, the recovery was not what she was expecting.
For the first couple of months, she was unable to function as an adult. So she and her daughter, Audriana, then 6, moved in with her parents. She had to re-learn everything, including brushing her teeth, changing her clothes, taking a bath, she said.
“It was the hardest thing I had ever done, especially with a young daughter,” she said. “It was a process that I had to focus on and do all those things.”
After a year of recovery and speech therapy, Monnin returned to work as a mental health therapist. Then she suffered another massive seizure. That was followed by news that another brain tumor was growing. This time, surgery wasn’t a possibility.
Her best option was radiation and chemotherapy.
She has finished radiation and has had five chemotherapy treatments. While her body is weak, she has a strong mind, she said.
“I’m going to beat this,” she said. “Failure is not an option.”
When the team at Garage Floors and More heard about Monnin’s brain cancer battles, the owners decided to give her a free new patio for the outside of her house.
Dan Burnett, co-owner of the business who shares a friend with Monnin, said her story “really resonated with us.” He said his wife has recently gone through proton radiation and chemotherapy treatments.
“We wanted to use our skills and products to make things easier and safer for her home,” he said.
In one day, Burnett and his team resurfaced her concrete patio and stairs.
“It’s fantastic,” she said. “I’m looking at it right now. It’s awesome. I couldn’t be happier and am so thankful for this amazing gift.”
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