Woman from Guyana receives life-saving brain surgery at Maine Med

Last Updated on Saturday, 2 August 2014, 0:30 by GxMedia

PORTLAND, Maine ( WLBZ NEWS CENTER) — A young woman from Guyana in South America is lucky to be alive, thanks to a medical team here in Maine.

After two years of chronic headaches, Melissa Williams was diagnosed with a brain tumor. But Guyana does not have any neurosurgeons, and doctors in nearby Jamaica and Trinidad were too busy to take her case.

Dr. Nadia Ramdin of Pen Bay Medical Center in Rockport, was visiting Guyana and heard about Melissa’s story. She connected her with a neurosurgeon at Maine Medical Center just in time.

“This tumor was killing her” said Maine Medical Center’s Head of Neurosurgery Jeffrey Florman. “This tumor had buildup of fluid in the head and was threatening her life. Had we not intervened, there’s no question this would’ve killed her in relatively short order.”

Doctor Jeffrey Florman was able to remove the tumor, which was benign. Williams is expected to make a full recovery.