From Tumor to Triumph

On Sept. 9, 2014, Billi Ewing’s life changed forever. The mother of three from Dayton, Ohio underwent a 13-hour craniotomy to remove a benign atypical grade 2 meningioma. The tumor had wrapped around her optic nerve and begun affecting her vision.

Billi had been experiencing vision issues in her right eye for almost a year. The neuro-ophthalmologist she was referred to ordered an MRI of her brain. She assumed this to be just a precautionary test. But the scan revealed something far more serious: a brain tumor entangling her optic nerve. It was unclear how long it had been growing.

“I literally thought my potential 'bad news' was that I would need LASIK eye surgery,” said Billi.  

Trusting the Right Team

Billi was referred to the Brain Tumor Center at the University of Cincinnati Gardner Neuroscience Institute, where she met with now-retired Dr. Mario Zuccarello, a world-renowned neurosurgeon. The Brain Tumor Center offers the most advanced treatments to patients across Greater Cincinnati and around the world. Billi underwent a complex craniotomy, one of many innovative treatments UC Health offers, followed by 33 rounds (or 2 months) of radiotherapy.

Although this was the most devastating experience in her lifetime, Billi says the compassion and quality care she’s received from day one to today have helped tremendously and she considers her entire care team like family.

From Patient to Advocate

In 2015, just one year after surgery, Billi launched “Billi’s BElievers: From Tumor to Triumph” and walked in her first “Walk Ahead for Brain Tumor Discoveries” event. Now, ten years later, she hasn’t missed a year. She serves on the planning committee, appears regularly on local news to raise awareness, and opens the 5K by singing the national anthem—a tradition she started after seeing how emotional the walk was for families honoring lost loved ones.

“It’s a beautiful day we look forward to every year. But for many, it is a heavy reminder of who they lost, and I just felt starting the walk with song would help lighten their spirits.” 

Giving Back with Compassion

Billi also gives back in a deeply personal way: by creating and delivering custom care baskets to newly diagnosed patients and survivors of all ages and stages of their brain tumor journey. Each one includes educational resources, a variety of gray awareness items, and messages of hope and encouragement. She’s become a trusted voice, especially for patients of color, helping build a more inclusive view of what brain tumor survivorship looks like.

Living Beyond “Benign”

Although her tumor was non-cancerous, Billi still lives with symptoms like cognitive changes, tinnitus, and chronic dry eye, to name a few.

“There’s a motto within the brain tumor community: #BenignIsNotFine,” she explains. “It exists to debunk the assumption that benign tumors are harmless. The reality is we have significant long-term aftereffects that need to be acknowledged and addressed.”

For Billi, the shift from surviving to thriving has meant setting new boundaries, prioritizing joy and rest, and accepting that she isn’t the same person she was pre-surgery.

“Embracing my new normal has been the hardest part of this journey.”

Today, UC Health offers a nurse navigator to support every patient and their care partners —a role Billi unofficially took on herself in the early days of her recovery for others. Today, she fills in those gaps by mentoring others whenever she can.

A Lasting Legacy of Empowerment

Billi never set out for fame. Her goal is and has always been visibility and connection, reminding others that life after a brain tumor can be rich with meaning.

She finds renewed energy from fellow survivors at the walk–those crossing finish lines with canes, Optune devices, or being pushed in wheelchairs. “It just ignites me all over again,” Billi says.

10 years into her survivorship, Billi has become a cornerstone of the UC Health brain tumor community. From care baskets to continued advocacy, she’s determined to ensure no one walks this road alone.

“Right before my surgery, I prayed for restoration,” Billi says. “So I could share my story and hopefully help another person so they’re not starting from a blank slate. UC Health was the catalyst to help me fulfill that desire.”

Join Billi and thousands of fellow survivors, families, and supporters at the 15^th Annual “Walk Ahead for Brain Tumor Discoveries 5K” on Sunday, October 19, 2025.

If you or someone you love is facing a brain tumor, don’t walk the journey alone. The specialists at the University of Cincinnati Gardner Neuroscience Institute are here to provide advanced, compassionate care from diagnosis through recovery. Call us at (513) 675-9656.