Lindsay Meszaros

Meet Lindsay

Cancer treatment shrinks rare brain tumor in young teacher

Imagine watching your son happily blow out candles on his fifth birthday cake, not knowing if you would be there to share in another precious milestone.

That’s just what happened to Lindsay Meszaros, a young mom and second-grade schoolteacher who sought medical attention after experiencing hormonal irregularities, headaches and other unusual symptoms. Her doctor wisely ordered an MRI and found a tumor near her pituitary gland.

Next, Lindsay sought treatment from Nam Tran, M.D., Ph.D., a highly regarded oncologist at Moffitt Cancer Center, a cutting-edge facility based in Tampa. A second MRI showed the tumor located on her brain stem to be growing rapidly. After Dr. Tran called to deliver the news, a biopsy and exploratory surgery were soon scheduled.

The biopsy revealed Lindsay had a craniopharyngioma. While craniopharyngioma is a benign type of tumor, meaning that it doesn’t usually spread cancer to other tissues or parts of the body, it can still cause problems. These tumors typically grow near the brain’s pituitary gland, pressing on the gland and affecting the secretion of hormones.

Scared and upset, but having complete faith in her medical team, Lindsay proceeded with chemotherapy to shrink the tumor. A month in, Lindsay learned she was inadvertently taking half of the prescribed dosage, yet the golf ball-sized tumor had already shrunk to the size of a pea. Continuing the treatment for 10 months, Lindsay was grateful to have minimal side effects and is thrilled to be rid of her tumor.

Today, she treasures watching her children grow up and make memories together.

Thanks to generous contributions by Constellation Brands Gold Network and one of its Tampa affiliate distributors, Pepin Distributing Company, cancer research creates more precious moments for patients like Lindsay and others battling cancer. A long-time contributor to the V Foundation, Pepin has supported Constellation’s efforts since 2011. The V Foundation has funded 29 grants to Moffitt investigators, totaling over $8 million.