Caregiver Becomes Patient, Beats Spinal Tumor at MD Anderson

When Judy Overton's right leg gave out during a routine walk in 2018, she brushed it off and kept moving. Two weeks earlier, she'd crushed the Houston Half Marathon.

But the pain that followed told a different story. Standing to put on makeup became excruciating. Choir rehearsals left her back tight and aching.

A friend diagnosed it as simple sciatica. Years of lugging heavy television cameras as a news photographer had finally caught up with her, Judy figured. She saw a physical therapist, got temporary relief, and learned to live with the discomfort.

But in 2019, Judy decided she needed real answers. X-rays revealed an abnormal growth between her L3 and L4 vertebrae.

The sports medicine specialist didn't think it was cancer. Still, Judy wanted to be certain. She self-referred to UT MD Anderson, the same hospital where she'd worked as a communications specialist since 2008 and where her late husband Tom had been treated for kidney cancer years before.

Dr. Claudio Tatsui confirmed the growth was likely a schwannoma, a benign tumor that develops in the nerve sheath cells protecting the spinal nerves. Since the tumor was small and Judy had normal leg strength, he recommended monitoring it with periodic MRIs.

Then Judy made a choice she now regrets. She stopped getting the scans. She didn't like MRIs, and the tumor hadn't changed in the early monitoring period.

Five years later, an unrelated hospital stay revealed the truth. The tumor had doubled in size. Judy immediately called Dr. Tatsui.

The tumor was now compressing other spinal nerves and could cause permanent neurological damage. Surgery became the clear path forward. On January 30, 2026, Dr. Tatsui and colleague Dr. Robert North successfully removed the growth.

The Bright Side

Judy describes both surgeons as exceptional not just for their technical skill, but for their warmth. "Whenever I spoke, I always had their undivided attention," she says. That human connection mattered as much as the medical expertise.

Today, Judy has some residual tightness in her right leg, but she's optimistic it will continue improving. More importantly, she's cancer-free and back to living her life fully.

Her advice to others? Don't ignore persistent symptoms, and definitely don't skip your follow-up appointments. The scans might be uncomfortable, but catching changes early makes all the difference.

From caregiver to patient and now to survivor, Judy Overton has come full circle at MD Anderson, and she's sharing her story so others might catch their own health issues before they grow.