Hernando County teacher survives rare brain clot, tumor found; urges vigilance

Rob Strasser, a Spring Hill math teacher entering his second year at Fox Chapel Middle School and an educator for more than 20 years, said he nearly lost his life after what he first dismissed as sinus trouble became a cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) and revealed a brain tumor. Doctors at Morton Plant Hospital in Clearwater performed an emergency procedure, and Strasser spent nine days in an intensive care unit before surgeons removed a portion of the tumor.

Strasser said he initially treated the pain at home with over-the-counter medicines, remembering, "Take some Tylenol, take some Zyrtec, I'm going to be okay." Around 2 a.m., he described sudden collapse and unbearable pain: "About 2 a.m., I was on the floor to the living room and the most agony that I’ve ever felt in my life. I thought my head was going to explode." He drove or was taken to a hospital in Pasco County, where a doctor reportedly told him he had only hours to live without immediate care, prompting a transfer to Morton Plant.

At Morton Plant Hospital physicians diagnosed CVST - a blood clot in the brain’s venous sinuses described in medical accounts as a life-threatening type of stroke - and discovered a brain tumor during imaging. Strasser recounted the hospital experience: "It was the most humbling experience you can imagine. You think about your family, you think about your loved ones, your kids, your job. At my age, I didn't even think that was in the cards. I got down there. They did some emergency procedure." Surgeons later removed part of the tumor; the medical notes say he needed eight weeks of radiation as part of his treatment plan.

Strasser is now on multiple medications intended to reduce cerebral swelling and said follow-up scans will guide further care. "I'm taking lots of medications, trying to get the swelling down and then we'll readdress with a few scans to find out what can be done," he said; doctors are scheduled to review his scans and treatment options next month. The sequence and exact dates of the Pasco County visit, the transfer to Morton Plant, the ICU stay and the surgery were not provided, and Strasser has urged anyone with persistent or sudden severe headaches to seek medical evaluation.

Strasser framed his recovery as a warning to neighbors in Hernando County: "Don’t be like me, don’t ignore your body. Your body is a unique system. It knows when it hurts, listen to it and and I didn’t and I had people tell me you got to get checked out and I didn’t and it almost cost me my life." He hopes sharing his experience will prompt earlier care for unexplained symptoms as he continues treatment and monitoring in the coming weeks.