Las Vegas Lawyer Pursues Surgical Removal of Meningioma

After being told that surgical removal of her benign meningioma was impossible, Karen Ross found the treatment plan she was hoping for at the USC Brain Tumor Center.

Karen Ross wasn’t used to being the one who needed help. The head of her own law firm in Las Vegas, single mother to three sons and supporter of her mother and disabled brother, she typically took care of others. But now, debilitating symptoms began to alter her role.

For nearly a year and a half, she had lived with severe headaches, nausea, visual disturbances and facial pain. On Thanksgiving Day 2020, the once high-energy 42-year-old reached her breaking point. “I couldn’t even summon the energy to set the table for my family’s dinner,” she says.

In the months before, Karen received conflicting diagnoses, from allergies to a potential jaw disorder. Over-the-counter allergy medicine helped diminish the pain — for a little while. But Karen could feel her body shutting down.

In early 2021, she had an MRI that showed a tumor known as a meningioma at the base of her skull, where the brain meets the spinal cord. “This is not me,” Karen recalls thinking. “Only, it was me.”

Next, she had a closeup MRI to determine if the mass was benign or cancerous. Fortunately the verdict was “most likely” benign.

Searching for a brain tumor expert

Determined, Karen launched a journey of discovery. Her goal: to find the best neurosurgeon to remove her tumor. Ultimately, she would interview 10 neurosurgeons at leading institutions across the country, online and in person — no small feat during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Eight said no to surgery because her tumor abutted a major vein in the back of her head called the transverse sinus. They offered other solutions that would leave part of the tumor intact. Karen wasn’t satisfied.

Then she met Gabriel Zada, MD, a Keck Medicine of USC neurosurgeon and co-director of the USC Brain Tumor Center.

An internationally recognized neurosurgeon-scientist, Dr. Zada specializes in the treatment of brain, pituitary and skull base tumors using minimally invasive and open surgical approaches. His resumé includes over 3,000 complex brain tumor operations.

After traveling from Las Vegas, Karen walked into Dr. Zada’s office at Keck Medical Center of USC in Los Angeles, holding a thick binder of research she had compiled, much like evidence she might carry into court. Dr. Zada gently closed her binder and said, “Karen, you need to have faith in the person you choose,” which Karen says put her at ease.

He stood out because “he didn’t rush,” she says. “He gave it to me straight — with heart.” And he said yes to surgery.

“I felt confident we could get all of the tumor out and keep her safe,” Dr. Zada says.

According to Dr. Zada, the USC Brain Tumor Center sets a priority on balancing technical excellence with compassionate care and patient-focused medicine.

“From the beginning, we approach each case as if we were a patient or a patient’s family,” he says. “We put ourselves in their shoes and understand what they go through when they get a brain tumor diagnosis.”

As Karen found out, even though 98% of meningiomas are benign, they are invasive, meaning they can grow into normal tissue and affect vision, speech, movement and cognition.

And although meningiomas are among the most common brain tumors, there are no medications currently available to treat them — but Dr. Zada and his research team are at the forefront of developing new treatments.

In Dr. Zada’s research laboratory, he and his team explore the genetic underpinnings of meningiomas and other brain tumors. Recently, the researchers found “a serious gene of interest in meningioma progression,” he says, which they hope may lead to new targeted treatments for these tumors.

Surgery for benign meningioma

On April 7, 2021, Karen underwent surgery. Dr. Zada was accompanied by two other neurosurgeons and an experienced operating room team. Before entering the operating room, Karen recalls Dr. Zada telling her, “We are all going to fight for you.”

Waiting for results was her younger brother, Daniel, who had flown in from Sicily to offer his support — initially on the phone, but later in person as COVID restrictions on visiting hours eased.

When Karen woke, she learned that her tumor had been successfully removed — in its entirety. Her nausea and facial pain were gone. Her most severe headaches were gone.

Next came recovery, which proved a challenging time. Over months of occupational therapy, Karen relearned balance, coordination and confidence. Her most debilitating symptoms had vanished, but she faced changes in executive functioning and heightened anxiety. “You are not the same person after brain surgery,” she says.

With the help of continued therapy and time, she has slowly readjusted to her new life and renewed health.

Her “very special experience” at Keck Medicine, Karen says, is “a testament to what is possible when medical excellence is paired with humanity.”

She praises the Keck Hospital team, from the staff who handled insurance clearances to her postsurgical nurse, “who made me laugh every day.”

Grateful way forward

Karen took three and a half years away from work. “I needed that additional time to understand myself better,” she says.

She hired staff to maintain her legal office and found support from friends, clients and the local law community. She spent more time with her three sons, Jordan, then 14; Jacob, 9; and Aiden, 4.

She also began meeting with other patients confronting brain tumor surgery, some referred by Dr. Zada — a commitment to supporting others that she continues to make.

In April 2026, Karen will mark five years tumor-free. She is back at work, with her practice busier than ever. But she no longer misses “the moment,” she says, whether that moment is a cup of coffee with a friend or a school event with one of her sons. “I live in gratitude.”

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