What does it mean when a tumor is “inside the spinal cord”?
First, a little anatomy lesson. The human spine supports the spinal “cord” and the nerves that communicate messages between the brain and the rest of the body. The back has thirty-three bones, 31 pairs of nerves, forty muscles, and several tendons and ligaments. The spinal column has three different divisions of bones: the cervical bones (C), the thoracic bones (T), and the lumbosacral bones (L). The spinal column ENCASES the spinal cord, which is divided into several levels—these different levels control the body’s functions. The cervical region of the cord helps functions in the neck, head, shoulders, and arms; the thoracic levels help maintain chest muscles that assist in coughing and breathing; and the lumbosacral region work the legs, pelvis, bowel, and bladder. All very important stuff. X-ray Tech Isaac Wade has a hemangioblastoma inside his spinal cord, which is a benign, highly vascular tumor that can be found in the central nervous system—the brain or spine. Depending on the l
