During the summer before her senior year in Boston College’s nursing program,
Zoe started having chronic headaches, which were brushed off as anxiety and
migraines. Eventually, her left arm went numb, so doctors thought she could be
experiencing a focal seizure: a seizure that affects only one side of the brain. An MRI led to a brain tumor diagnosis. After surgery in 2017, she was declared cancer-free.

Zoe worked at an infusion clinic in Waltham for two years prior to joining
Dana-Farber—Chestnut Hill in 2021. After transferring her own healthcare to
Dana-Farber, however, she learned there is no cure for her cancer. Zoe was enrolled in the Indigo clinical trial and expects to continue taking an oral drug for the remainder of her life to prevent the brain tumor from returning.

Zoe, who is currently pursuing her master’s degree in healthcare administration,
says she often forms emotional bonds with patients and shares her story when it is appropriate and helpful. She’s training and fundraising for the Berlin Marathon in
Germany in September for the Brain Tumor Charity, an organization based out of the United Kingdom.

Oligodendroglioma is a growth of cells that starts in the brain. The growth of
cells, called a tumor, begins in cells called oligodendrocytes. These cells make a
substance that protects nerve cells and helps with the flow of electrical signals in the brain and spinal cord. Oligodendroglioma is most common in adults, but it can happen at any age. Symptoms include seizures, headaches, and weakness or disability in a certain part of the body. Where this happens in the body depends on which parts of the brain are affected by the tumor.