After serving others for 40 years through a legal career and now as a pastor and yoga teacher, Sandra Hedrick has led a life helping people.
“I don’t know what draws me to want to help people,” she says. “I’m sure it’s in my genes, but I really don’t know.”
A self-described joyful yet introverted person, Sandra felt her busy life of mindfulness and gratitude stall three and a half years ago when an unexpected sinus issue developed. That fall, she and her husband were on a trip to see the changing leaves in North Carolina when she realized she could not breathe out of her right nostril.
After her trip, Sandra visited internal medicine physicians about her sinus problem, who referred her to Dr. Osarenoma Olomu, an otolaryngologist at Mayo Clinic in Florida, for further evaluation.
After a biopsy, pathology results showed the mass was esthesioneuroblastoma (ENB), a rare cancer also known as olfactory neuroblastoma (ONB). According to the National Cancer Institute, ONB affects approximately 1 in every 2.5 million people.
Surgery was scheduled immediately following MRI confirmation of the size and location of the mass.
“ONB is a fairly challenging mass to deal with because of where it lies: right at the base of the nose between the nasal airway and the brain,” explains Dr. Olomu.
As one of the nation’s highest-volume centers for advanced head and neck cancers, Mayo Clinic in Florida manages complex and rare cases with precise, minimally invasive procedures.
For Sandra’s surgery, Dr. Olomu partnered with Dr. Kaisorn Chaichana, a neurosurgeon at Mayo Clinic in Florida, to perform an endoscopic resection and reconstruction through the nose.
“This advanced approach allowed us to precisely remove the tumor while protecting the rest of the brain,” explains Dr. Chaichana. “We worked together to resect and reconstruct at the same time.”
After surgery, Sandra had a course of radiation and two rounds of chemotherapy to conclude her initial treatment. Despite the physical discomfort she felt during this time, Sandra looks back on her postoperative treatment with fondness for her care team.
“I experienced kindness in every way,” she says. “The staff were highly professional and kind. They were just a joy to be with, even under the circumstances.”
Mayo Clinic care teams solve complex medical challenges, like Sandra’s, by taking an approach that puts the patient at the center and incorporates experts from multiple medical disciplines.
“When you work with a high-level team, you can make rare things not so rare,” says Dr. Olomu. “Our team works together all the time as part of a nationally recognized center, so for a disease like ONB, we know a care pathway.”
After treatment, Sandra returned to her vocation as a pastor with reaffirmed compassion and a keener listening ear. She also participates in online ONB forums and conferences, connecting with others who share this uncommon bond and encouraging one another.
Sandra approaches her follow-up scans with confidence that she is supported by a kind, caring and knowledgeable team. She is happy to return to life as a wife, friend and grandmother.
“Being alive is nice, of course,” says Sandra. “But I am not on any mission to accomplish anything. I want to thrive in my ordinary life. And that’s what Mayo Clinic gave me.”
