Aaron

Hi, my name is Aaron Ballesteros.

In November 2019, when I was just 23 years old, I was diagnosed with a rare benign brain tumour. When I woke after an 8-hour emergency surgery I was unable to move the entire right side of my body. I spent the next 45 days at Hollywood Hospital relearning how to walk, talk and even brush my teeth.

I then transferred to Fiona Stanley Hospital (FSH) to continue my rehabilitation as an outpatient. I spent the next 6 - 12 months being driven to FSH a few times a week for my appointments – thanks Mum and Dad for all the driving! Some of my most notable achievements at FSH included learning to run again, getting my driver’s license

reinstated, and significantly improving my memory and ability to learn, remember and use knowledge, which were all severely impaired after my surgery.

Since being discharged from FSH, I have completed my Graduate Diploma in Project Management at Curtin University and started my first full-time job as an Assistant Project Manager at the Town of Cambridge. In July 2021 I left the nest and moved into a house with my girlfriend and some friends. I have also completed my return to social sport, playing in an indoor beach volleyball competition on a weekly basis.

It has been a wild ride to say the least, but my achievements prove that hard work pays off and that there is always light at the end of the tunnel, however long that may seem.