BRAIN TUMOR FAILS TO STOP TEENAGER.

Byline: MARK KELLAM

valleynews.com

One moment, Troy Krieger was with his friends at the mall. The next, he went blind, suffered two seizures and, a few hours later, found out he had a brain tumor.

Life can change that fast.

Sometimes such stories end tragically, but for 14-year-old Troy, the ending would be a happy one.

Troy, a Woodland Hills resident, was with four friends at the Westfield Topanga Mall recently. Suddenly, Troy went blind. He told his friends to take him to his mom, who was shopping at a store in the mall.His mom, Valerie, didn't notice anything strange about his looks. But when he started talking about girls who weren't there, she knew something was wrong.

Then he started shaking from the neck up and had a mild seizure. Valerie helped Troy lie down and put a pillow under his head while a friend called 911.

In the ambulance, Troy suffered a grand mal seizure, his mom said. An MRI at West Hills Hospital showed a brain tumor.

There was no history of brain cancer in his family, Valerie said. And Troy had just passed his physical a week earlier.

Dr. Michael Jones at West Hills Hospital worked to get Troy admitted to UCLA Medical Center to undergo brain surgery. At 3a.m., Troy arrived at UCLA.

Dr. Jorge Lazareff, head of pediatric neurosurgery at the medical center, took over Troy's case.

The surgery would be delicate because the tumor was on the lobe of Troy's brain that controls comprehension. Lazareff was particularly concerned Troy could lose his ability to speak.

The 30-minute procedure included asking Troy a variety of questions. He was told to "think of a pink bird." As he thought of a flamingo, the MRI tracked the blood flow to create a map of his brain -- a map Lazareff would use during surgery.

Before the surgery, Troy told his dad, Jon, and his mom: "If I die tonight, I want you to know you're the best parents ever, and you gave me the best life."

"We told him he's not going anywhere," Valerie said.

The surgery was a success. The tumor was benign and isn't expected to return. Three hours after the surgery, Troy was eating. Even though he was on a liquid diet initially, he had a huge appetite, Valerie said.

He was released from the hospital after two days and has made a full recovery.

Troy, who will attend El Camino Real High School in the fall, is an honor student, a junior black belt and a volunteer at the Motion Picture & Television Hospital.

After graduation, he plans to go to college and become -- what else? -- a doctor.

"That's what he's always wanted to be," Valerie said.