A South Carolina woman credits police for potentially saving her life during a traffic stop. Officers in Mount Pleasant pulled over 58-year-old Tamara Palmer because they thought she was driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs. She had been driving erratically, reportedly endangering herself and others.
Palmer told Good Morning America that when the police officers pulled her over to the side of the road on December 2, she told them she had a headache. They questioned her and realized that drugs and alcohol were not the cause of her impaired driving, but no one could have predicted what they would find.
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The police officers called for backup.
They realized they were in a scary situation and called an ambulance. Palmer complained about not feeling well before EMS arrived.
"I told them I [had] a bad headache and I lost my vision for a few seconds," Palmer told Good Morning America. "And then [they realized] something really medically was not right with me."
When Palmer arrived at the hospital, doctors ordered tests to determine what was happening to her.
They discovered a shockingly large tumor.
During an MRI, doctors found a large tumor in Palmer's brain and knew it needed to be removed immediately.
Before the December driving incident, Palmer had not indicated anything was wrong. The discovery was alarming, and doctors had to think fast. Good Morning America reported that she was in surgery within 48 hours of arriving at the hospital and was released just two days later.
"[It was a] very successful surgery," Palmer told the news program about the eight-hour procedure. "I didn't have any complications. I feel like I didn't have any surgery at all."
Thankfully, the tumor was benign.
The tumor may have resulted from an accident 37 years earlier.
According to USA Today, doctors believe the tumor is directly linked to the Chernobyl nuclear power plant explosion in 1986 in Ukraine. Palmer was 22 at the time and lived about 10 miles away. She reportedly stayed in the area for three days after the explosion because the government allegedly said there were no dangers.
She came to the United States 10 years later after her daughter developed a dangerous skin condition from radiation exposure.
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Palmer tracked down the police officers who pulled her over that fateful day.
Palmer visited the police station to thank the officers who saved her life, according to the Mount Pleasant Police Department Facebook page.
"Without their quick analysis of the situation, the outcome could have ended differently," the Facebook post reads.
Palmer gave Patrolman Bret Aton and Officer Raymond Schoonmaker awards for helping to save her. According to USA Today, the pair were recognized in a public ceremony.
Palmer's operation was on December 4, just one week before her 58th birthday. As she told USA Today, "They gave me the best birthday gift I could ask for: my life."
Thousands of Americans are living with brain tumors.
The American Brain Tumor Association reports that more than 700,000 Americans have brain tumors, both cancerous and noncancerous. In 2021, more than 84,000 people were diagnosed with brain tumors. More than 120 types of tumors affect all ages, races, and socioeconomic backgrounds, according to the association. Nearly a third are considered malignant, and 28,000 pediatric brain tumor patients are in the US.
"Survival after diagnosis with a primary brain tumor varies significantly by age, race, geographical location, tumor type, tumor location, and molecular markers," the organization notes.
