On Feb. 19, 2008, everyone was in shock to find out that Denise Risbeck, our beloved Biology teacher, was not in school that day because she found out she had a brain tumor. At the time, not even she was aware of how serious the tumor was and the circumstances it would produce.

Risbeck was told that she had a benign (non-cancerous) brain tumor last February. It was great that it wasn’t cancerous, but at the same time, it was a lot more serious than her doctors expected. The tumor was located on the main artery leading to her brain. The surgery was supposed allow her to return to school in three weeks, definitely before the school year ended, but complications arose and she did not end up returning until this school year. “I almost died in recovery because I developed hydrocephalus (water on the brain) and they had to shave my head on top and put in a tube and bag. I would have eventually died if they did not do the surgery,” Risbeck said.

The whole situation became apparent that she had the tumor originally because she noticed pulsing and excruciating headaches as she would lean down to pick something up or go to the bathroom. Her family doctor did not even consider a brain tumor, and when she went to the ER the doctor and nurse figured she had a sinus infection. They did not think a CAT scan would be needed, but she decided to go through with it anyway. Then it became clearer that it was a bit more serious, and a neurologist ordered an MRI, which showed a golf ball sized tumor on her brain.

Unfortunately, Risbeck is still not fully recovered and says it will take about a complete year until she is. At this point in time, she still feels tired and nauseous daily and actually vomits at times. She says she cannot exercise in the traditional sense yet and may not eat whenever she would like.

“I just listen to my body right now and that is the best that I can do,” Risbeck said. If she does not eat in a correctly scheduled manner, she may throw up. When walking she feels unstable, and for a while she needed to use a cane.

“I just gave up my cane at school. I do not use it at home. It was there for security more than anything else. I told our daughter, Cheryl, that my only fear of returning to school was my instability in front of my students. She suggested the cane. I bought it at Catalina Island, California while visiting Ben and Eileen this summer. I am so glad that I did use it. It was great advice!” Risbeck said.

Although Risbeck is still not fully recovered, she says she’s made great improvement. She and her husband take their huge faith in God and realize that things could be worse.



Risbeck says that her loving husband -who has been both the wife and husband as she has been recovering- their children and grandchildren, friends, biology colleagues, neighbors, and church friends have all been immensely supportive and caring towards her as she’s been pushing through her recovery. She missed her students and RHS staff a great deal when she had to stay home and rest

in bed.

You never think that something like this is going to happen to you or someone you’re close to, but the truth of the matter is that it hits the most innocent, caring people at the most unexpected times. Things may be worse than at first glance and you should never ignore something that you have a gut feeling about. Mrs. Risbeck’s story is a perfect example of this.

“Enjoy your life to its fullest. One of my former students (only 21 years old) died in the spring just before my surgery. None of us knows what the future holds. Say that you love and forgive people. In the end, that is all that really matters,” Risbeck said.