Fort Smith Retiree Heading to Disney World after Successful Proton Therapy for Brain Tumors

By Marty Trieschmann

In November 2023, Malinda Larey, 67, of Fort Smith, Arkansas, was all set to jump on the retirement travel bandwagon when she was unexpectedly diagnosed with atypical meningioma.

Meningiomas are tumors that grow from the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord. Patients can have a range of symptoms — from none to severe seizures, headaches and changes in vision, smell or hearing. Only about 15-20% of meningiomas are atypical, which means the tumors cells are neither cancerous nor benign but may become malignant at some point.

“It was inside and outside of my skull and just grew bigger and bigger,” Larey recalls of the fast-growing mass that had formed at the base of her skull.

Meningiomas are more common in older women, though the cause is unknown.

Fort Smith Retiree Heading to Disney World after Successful Proton Therapy for Brain Tumors

“Watching the care that the Proton Center provided to all the patients experiencing so much struggle in their lives gave me so much confidence that this was the place I needed to be. " Image by Evan Lewis