From a letter Toni wrote to her contacts beginning of July:

 

...continued from "Home" page...

 

The doctors now believe that high pressure, most likely experienced two weeks earlier, weakened the dura and moving created the tear. Something as simple as coughing could have done so, however, once the tissue was weakened. This condition is surprisingly not as rare as it was once thought, but until recently, it was typically misdiagnosed because imaging did not make detection easy. I had 3 MRIs and two CT scans that all missed it.

 

Unfortunately, there are very few specialists that deal with this condition and surgery in my case is very difficult due to the location and severity. I will most likely be traveling to Cedar Sinai in Los Angeles for surgery within the next several weeks. The good news is that the neurosurgeon told me yesterday that he believes there is an excellent chance for a full recovery once the leak is finally sealed.

 

The most challenging step right now will be trying to travel the 2,300 miles to get there, and I'm still not sure quite yet how to managethat, but for the first time in weeks I am truly hopeful. Being so sick that I have to have my little boy taken out of the room as he cries for mommy because I cannot even hold him at times has been heart-breaking...

 

I've known many of you for so long that you are like a second family to me, but it has been very difficult to keep in touch since this began. The leak has meant that I have very little fluid protecting my brain. I still cannot sit nor stand without extreme symptoms that I'm still struggling to describe.

 

Many of you have written your support and have been a great comfort to me over the past two months. It has meant a great deal to me to read these letters even though I have not yet been able to respond to most of them. Please know though that during my good hours I have been reading them and am very grateful to all of you. I look forward to once again being back on my feet and once again sharing with you my experiences in the markets. The lucky part about trading is that I don't have to worry about the markets not being there when I get back!

 

Wishing you and yours all my best,

Toni Hansen