CAPE CORAL, Fla. - Babara Sasso has a lot to be grateful for this year. Thanks to a talented Fort Myers surgeon and team of doctors, she is alive, despite incredible odds.

One year ago, Sasso had nearly given up. She was exhausted, depressed, had dizzy and fainting spells, and didn't know why.

"I had all these tests done," She says. "I went to 18 different doctors and tried to figure out what in the world was the matter with me, and everything turned out, I was fine."

Finally, after a regular eye exam, an Ophthalmologist sent her for an MRI. The problem? A non-cancerous brain tumor the size of a softball.

"She has something called an olfactory groove meningioma, which is a tumor which grows off our nerves that controls the ability to smell, and it sits in the bottom of the skull." Explains Dr. Sam Javedan, a Neurosurgeon with Lee Memorial Health System.

" I remember he put it on the wall, the MRI, and he looked at it, and the first thing he said was...wow." Says Sasso.

Dr. Javedan gave Sasso no choice-she would have to undergo surgery to remove the large tumor before it permanently disabled her.

"Because of the size of the tumor and how large it had gotten and the proximity of these vessels, its a very risky surgery," Explains Dr. Javedan. "It's in the eight or nine category {Out of ten}."

Facing permanent disability from stroke, blindness, or worse...Barbara, and her family and friends prayed.

"When I woke up I felt so clear headed, because I think with the pressure the tumor had I was in a fog, I felt so clear headed and happy." Says Sasso.

Miraculously, Sasso experienced no complications, and no permanent side effects. She spent just 8 days in the hospital.

"She'll need another scan in five years just to make sure that everything looks great, and then we'll consider her a cure, so she's had a very good outcome." Explains Dr. Javedan

"I thought, God doesn't answer prayer half way, he goes the whole route." Says Sasso. "I'm just grateful, grateful to have my life back."

About one in 20,000 to 50,000 people have meningiomas. They are the second most common type of brain tumor, but are frequently misdiagnosed.

Anyone with unexplained symptoms like fatigue, headaches, or depression is urged to get evaluated.