May 5, 2025 - By Kathryn Sill

May is nationally recognized as Brain Tumor Awareness Month, a time to raise not only awareness but also support for the individuals, families, and support groups impacted by this diagnosis. In honor of this month, we are featuring Ralph Jones, a Stanford patient and brain tumor survivor. Thank you, Mr. Jones, for courageously sharing your story to inspire other patients.

A typical headache for Ralph Jones was a rarity, occurring annually at most. Until, one day he developed a headache that lasted 24 hours and stretched on, the pain not subsiding for days.

Jones had just arrived in Las Vegas to enjoy a relaxing vacation in the desert climate with his fiancé, but his head pain began to disrupt their plans.

“As my pain intensified, I began to hear a pulsing sound that mimicked that of a warped fan,” Jones said. “I asked my fiancé if she heard it and she said no, and that’s when I began to get concerned.”

After returning home to California, Jones’s headache had still not dissipated, and he began to lose balance and get nauseous. Even tasks he once performed easily, like washing his car, were no longer doable.

He scheduled an appointment with his local primary care physician who recommended a professional ear cleaning, but that treatment offered no relief. Next, Jones went to a walk-in clinic near his home, but they were unsure the cause.

It was at his third doctor visit to a local hospital emergency room, that he received a computed tomography (CAT) scan, an x-ray imaging technique that captures detailed images of the body’s internal structures from multiple angles. The CAT scan displayed that Jones had a brain tumor, and he was referred to an oncologist.

“Receiving my diagnosis was shocking,” Jones said. “Up until that point I had never contemplated that it would be as severe as a brain tumor. I still believed it was a headache. The news took a while to sink in and I remember questioning what that meant for my future.”

The morning of his oncologist visit, Jones fainted. The oncologist warned Jones that if not addressed the symptoms of the tumor would continue to worsen, recommending he go to Stanford for surgery if it got worse. 

Minutes after returning home from that appointment, Jones had a medical emergency where pressure in the skull became life threatening. His fiancé and sons decided it was time to take him to Stanford. While driving to Stanford they had to pull over when Jones had a second episode of elevated brain pressure. Jones was placed in an air ambulance, flying the rest of the way to Stanford.

Stanford not only saved my life but has also been instrumental in caring for my family members. I have nothing but high regards for Stanford.

Melanie Hayden Gephart, MD, MAS, professor of neurosurgery, performed an emergency brain surgery to remove the hemangioblastoma, a tumor frequently curable by surgery. This also relieved the life-threatening increase in pressure within the skull that was causing Mr. Jones’s symptoms.

Hayden Gephart treats patients with both malignant and benign tumors, including gliomas, brain metastases, meningiomas, and schwannomas. She also directs the Stanford Brain Tumor Center and the Stanford Brain Metastasis Consortium. Her laboratory studies how malignant brain tumors grow, and develops new, less toxic treatments.

“Mr. Jones’s tumor was causing life-threatening buildup of pressure and fluid in the brain. Fortunately, for the specific tumor Mr. Jones had, it was non-malignant,” Hayden Gephart said. “These tumors tend to respond well to surgical removal. My goal was to not only solve the immediate problem but provide a durable cure. I am grateful to have been able to serve Mr. Jones that day.”

Jones said he has no recollection of what happened after the neurologic episode. When he awoke, he was in the Stanford Medical Center and his tumor had been removed. Jones spent a little over a week in the hospital followed by two weeks of physical therapy.

“My quality of life was immediately better after surgery,” Jones said. “All my faculties were fine. My biggest struggle was imbalance. If I was walking down a straight hallway and I looked to the left, I veered to the left, the same to the right. So, a lot of my rehab focused on balance and coordination.”

As Jones’s strength and coordination improved following his tumor removal, he made a rapid recovery and regained his balance. He returned to his job, where he works as a manufacturing test supervisor. Jones walking coordination returned quickly and his fear began to lessen.

“This diagnosis made me realize that health is more than external,” Jones said. “Even though I was in good physical shape it was not a full indicator for a deeper health issue. This trial taught me life is short and fragile, and as much as I could educate myself on brain tumors and tumors in general, I ultimately put my trust in God.”

Jones now returns annually for MRI scans at Stanford, showing no new tumor growths.

“Each time I receive a clean scan, I breathe a sigh of relief,” Jones said. “Even combing my hair, I'll feel my head occasionally to realize there is still no pain there. I’m grateful for each year that passes.”

As Jones reflects on his diagnosis considering Brain Tumor Awareness Month, he recalls the support of his fiancé, three sons, and the Stanford medical team.

“I couldn't have done it without them,” Jones said. “I depended on everyone that was around me at the time, from my family to the hospital staff. Stanford not only saved my life but has also been instrumental in caring for my family members, from my second wife who passed away, to my middle son being born prematurely and taken care of there, and now me. I have nothing but high regards for Stanford.”