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Patient Experience
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Houston-Area Mom Braves Surgery For a Dangerous Vein Condition
Kate Rock was aware this could be her last day with her family. With a high-risk surgery looming the next morning, she had talked with each of her five young children about the possibility that she might “go to live with Jesus.” On that sunny spring Saturday, she joined her family in a favorite task: working in the garden at their Katy, Texas, home, trying to distract from the complex impending procedure that would ultimately save her life.
From an early age, Rock had suffered from intense headaches. In college, she was diagnosed with a serious venous malformation (VM), a rare condition that caused tangled veins to wrap around her optic nerve and reach her brain. Now in her late 30s, Rock faced a dire prognosis. Physicians warned that without treatment, the intertwined vessels would expand and could hemorrhage, causing a stroke or possibly death before she reached 50.
After being turned away by numerous physicians unwilling to undertake the risky procedure, Rock found the Houston Methodist Institute for Reconstructive Surgery, where Drs. Charles N.S. Soparker and Eugene L. Alford agreed to operate on her congenital condition. “Finding the right surgeons was frustrating and a challenge,” Rock recalls. “But I knew this was what I needed to do.”
“IT WAS THE HARDEST AND SCARIEST DECISION I'VE EVER MADE, BUT SEEING MY CHILDREN GROW UP AND BEING HERE WITH THEM MAKES IT ALL WORTH IT.”
Abnormal blood vessel formations of the brain are rare and affect less than 1% of the population. Also called vascular malformations, they are believed to be present at birth and can enlarge over time, causing headaches, seizures and cerebral hemorrhage. The treatment for most VMs is surgery to remove or reduce the entanglement, allowing blood to flow normally through the capillaries. But what made the surgery especially delicate in Rock’s case was the position of the VM behind her right eye.
Shortly before her surgery, Rock considered canceling out of fear she would not survive, but a compassionate phone call from Dr. Alford bolstered her resolve to proceed. Rock also became aware that in the past, Dr. Alford and his family had leaned on their own faith as the surgeon recovered from a debilitating accident. Her family, her faith and the possibility of a future raising her children free from pain gave Rock the strength to proceed. “I knew God put me in Texas and in the hands of these surgeons for a reason,” she says.
Rock’s procedure was elaborate and required a multidisciplinary team of specialists. It involved opening the head to reach the VM with the goal of complete removal while avoiding damage to the surrounding brain tissue. “VM lesion surgeries can be among the most challenging for many reasons,” explains Dr. Soparker. “During removal or treatment, a VM can suddenly rupture, causing bleeding that threatens organs or lives. Furthermore, although a VM may be dangerous and require removal, doing so may interrupt important blood flow to other tissues. In cases such as Kate’s, these lesions can raise difficult choices.”
Rock’s surgery was a success. She is now well, undergoing facial reconstructive surgery and back to gardening with her family. Reflecting on her journey, she says, “It was the hardest and scariest decision I’ve ever made, but seeing my children grow up and being here with them makes it all worth it.”