Hell in the Head: My War with a Brain Tumor and Other Evil Things - Paperback

by David Douglas Shannon (Author)

He got sucker-punched, blindsided with something that only happens to other people. Actor David Shannon had a brain tumor. It was called an Acoustic Neuroma. In late 2007, he had surgery to have it removed. All should have gone well. It didn't. Gradually over the next two years, Shannon made one disturbing discovery after another that left his acting career and his former life in ruin. Hell in the Head is his story. With a knack for story-telling, Shannon takes us along on his medical misadventure with irreverent wit. As he weaves his way through his newly found post-surgery world, he shares heart-rending losses and his dashed hopes for recovery as well as stories of achievement and inspiration. From learning the bitter truth to running a half marathon to meeting Crookedsmile and others facing the same ordeal, Shannon tells the good and the ugly with the same wry humor that will have you laughing and crying at the same time. In the end, after a three-year-ride on a rollercoaster of emotional chaos, he presents an advocacy for improved care and counseling for Acoustic Neuroma patients. Hell in the Head is a story of wit and inspiration for all readers and a must read for Acoustic Neuroma patients and "posties."

Author Biography

Raised in Pittsburgh, PA, David Shannon graduated from Point Park University with a Journalism degree. He spent the next 20 years as a marketing executive eventually leaving to establish a career in acting. He is now a writer living in Los Angeles. Five years after his surgery, he remains in physical therapy and continues to be a strong advocate for Acoustic Neuroma patient care and awareness. He is single and has an adult daughter, Britannia who lives nearby in Los Angeles.