Brain Surgery Saved Her Life – Now She Saves Others as She Stands With Ukraine

Mariya Martynenko with her husband, Robert Hadow. After life-saving brain surgery, Mariya continues her humanitarian work supporting Ukrainian refugees, veterans, and frontline caregivers.

When Mariya Martynenko tells the story of her brain tumor, she doesn’t start with her symptoms or diagnosis. She starts on February 24, 2022 – the day Russian forces attacked her home city of Kharkiv, Ukraine.

A licensed professional counselor (LPC) who has lived in the U.S. since 1999, Mariya immediately focused on helping friends and family escape. She and her husband Robert Hadow opened their house to everyone they could. All told, their guests stayed for more than a year.

“We were living like cats – we had people in every corner,” she said. “We gave up our bedroom and were sleeping on the sofa.”

Pushing Through the Signs

With so many people relying on her, Mariya ignored the alarming symptoms that were becoming more frequent – burning feet, imbalance, neck pains. She brushed them off, blaming her discomfort on the wrong pillows, stress, and exhaustion.

She was preparing to travel to Ukraine to deliver medical equipment and refugee support, working “like crazy” without funding or organizational backing.

“I didn’t tell anyone about my pain,” said Mariya. “As Winston Churchill said, ‘If you’re going through hell, keep going’ – so I did.”

Just before she was supposed to leave, Mariya started feeling numbness in her arms and saw her internal medicine provider. She shared her thoughts on what might be going on given what she was experiencing. After assessing her symptoms, the doctor told her there were three possibilities: a brain tumor, a stroke, or multiple sclerosis. Mariya needed an MRI right away.

A Surprising Diagnosis – and Connection

The MRI revealed she had a 5mm brain aneurysm and a large skull base meningioma at the foramen magnum that extended into the top of her spinal canal.

“My brain is full of surprises,” Mariya said wryly.

The aneurysm could wait given its size, but the tumor was dangerous. Her trip to Ukraine would have to be postponed.

Determined to take control of the situation, Mariya typed “neurosurgeon near me” into Google. The first result was Dr. Yaron A. Moshel at Atlantic Brain and Spine (ABS). The reviews said he provided the best brain tumor care in the region. She clicked “Make an Appointment.”

At her first visit, Dr. Moshel noticed Mariya’s purse, decorated with the Ukrainian flag.

“Are you Ukrainian?” he asked. When she said yes, he disappeared into the next room, returning with an ABS newsletter – decorated with the same sky blue and yellow as the flag on her purse. The practice redesigned the cover in the spring of 2022 as a show of support and awareness for Ukraine.

“It was so touching,” Mariya remembered. “I immediately said, ‘Doctor, I will see you in the operating room.’”

Dr. Moshel explained the tumor might separate cleanly like a banana peel or it could be more difficult to remove, like the pith of an orange. Mariya understood the risks but trusted that Dr. Moshel would take good care of her.

“This is between you and God,” she told him. God will help you, and I will be there.”

From Caregiver to Patient

Even in the days leading up to her operation, Mariya continued fundraising and volunteering for Ukraine while supporting the refugees living in her home. When she got to Overlook Medical Center the morning of her brain tumor surgery, she joked and connected with the staff.

“Overlook is an absolutely incredible place,” she said. “Everyone I talked to loves their job. It’s hard work, but they all have sincere smiles.”

Dr. Moshel performed a far-lateral craniotomy with vertebral artery mobilization – a complex skull-base operation that requires navigating through some of the most delicate anatomy in the human body. The tumor sat at the foramen magnum, pressed against the brainstem, and wrapped around the vertebral artery, one of the brain’s major blood vessels.

To safely reach the tumor, Dr. Moshel created a small “window” through bone behind Mariya’s ear and the top of her spine. He gently freed the vertebral artery from where it was encased and used microscopic dissection to peel the tumor away from nerves controlling swallowing, speech, and balance. After hours of meticulous work, he achieved a gross total resection – removing the tumor completely while preserving her neurological function.

When Mariya woke up, her first question was, “Banana or orange?”

Dr. Moshel smiled and waved his hand: somewhere in between.

Having a house full of people sped Mariya’s recovery, which she considered practically a “vacation” after the hard work in the spring. They took care of her the way she’d taken care of them. Soon she was back to her mission.

At her three-month follow-up visit, Dr. Moshel was impressed by her progress. The tumor was gone and the aneurysm stable. She was clear to travel.

Turning Survival into Service

Since her brain surgery, Mariya has continued her important work of fundraising and helping Ukrainians soldiers, civilians, and refugees. She partnered with Friends of Chervonohrad to hold a piano journey fundraiser. The concert in Morristown featured Michelle and Christofer Kuo, a mother-son duo, and raised $60,000.

Using her background as an outpatient trauma psychologist, Mariya coordinated a project to get military mental health workers off the front line and into a safe place where they could eat real meals, sleep in proper beds, and receive therapy themselves.

The burnout she encountered was profound. “Nobody is ever prepared for this level of trauma,” she said.

She has also built peer-support groups for severely injured veterans with her Ukrainian colleague, Alexander Tereschenko, a double amputee and torture survivor who lost two arms and an eye. Alexander started his own program called “If I can do it, you can do it.” Participants included blind veterans, amputees, torture survivors, and spouses of missing soldiers. They bond and even manage to laugh together as they navigate life in a war zone.

The Work Continues

Mariya continues to travel to Ukraine each year for month-long humanitarian missions, expanding her work with disabled veterans, families of missing soldiers, and front-line military psychologists. She hopes to return soon, pending funding.

Back home, she sees Dr. Moshel annually to monitor her aneurysm. She brings Ukrainian treats to his staff, whom she describes as “very responsive” and “very therapeutic.” The love is shared: the ABS staff look forward to hearing Mariya’s stories and updates about her outreach every time she visits.

Her health journey has had new twists. Most recently, she was diagnosed with breast cancer and had a mastectomy and reconstruction at Overlook. Still, she keeps moving, keeps helping, keeps building. She hopes her experience will give hope to others facing challenges in their own lives.

“The way I understand it, everything is easier when you concentrate on something else,” she said with a smile. “My work wouldn’t have been possible without Dr. Moshel. He’s an incredible person.”