FUTURE HEALTH PROFESSIONAL TURNS HEALTH EDUCATOR FACEBOOK LIVE S U R G E R Y AT T R A C T S THOUSANDS OF VIEWERS Jenna Schardt ’16 went from future healthcare provider to patient during a five-minute conversation in class with her professor. When she learned she would need to be awake for a high-risk brain surgery, Schardt was determined to use her experience to educate and comfort future patients. While pursuing a master’s degree in occupational therapy at Brenau University (Gainesville, Ga.), Schardt was working at an outpatient clinic with patients with brain injuries, set to finish her last semester of fieldwork. One day when her professor asked her a question, her answer was incomprehensible. She became frustrated and tried to write her answer, but could not articulate it on paper, either. After five minutes, she was able to speak normally, but would soon be challenged with another, similar episode. After Schardt was rushed to Methodist Dallas Medical Center, doctors discovered a brain tumor: a golf ball-sized mass on the left side of her parietal lobe. The mass, called a cavernous malformation, was pushing on her parietal lobe, the part of her brain responsible for speech and motor functions. The mass was slowly bleeding, causing seizures and aphasia. Since the bleeding was slow, doctors thought they could manage her symptoms with medication until she graduated from the program. But the seizures did not subside and Schardt was scheduled to undergo surgery on October 29, 2019. Knowing her history working with patients with symptoms like her own, Drs. Randall Graham and Bartley Mitchell believed Schardt would be the perfect candidate to livestream a portion of her four-hour procedure. The hospital was interested in educating students and future patients
2 4 NORTH CENTRAL COLLEGE northcentralcollege.edu
