Health Follow-up: Patient Credits Early Detection Of Tumor To CBS 3

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- You never know who is watching our stories and how the information we provide can make an impact.

After doing the story of a viewer who discovered he had a brain tumor after watching a CBS3 story,  health reporter Stephanie Stahl learns more about these tumors from the neurosurgeon who treated our viewer.

"This part is all healed, it extends up here," John Forren told us less than a month after his brain surgery.

John is recovering from surgery to remove a tumor and working on getting his strength back with the help of his girlfriend Janet D'Alesandro who loves cooking for him.

The 63-years-old who lives in South Jersey had no symptoms and was in great shape when he was diagnosed.

He's an experienced scuba diver and instructor, a volunteer firefighter, and adventure traveler.

"Oh I was shocked," John said describing the day he was told he had a brain tumor. "I was totally shocked."

John was watching CBS 3 back in October and saw our story on a mobile MRI unit that was offering free screenings in several cities as part of a Columbia research project sponsored by the Brain Tumor Foundation.

"So I strolled over and the rest is history," said John.

Follow-up testing from the MRI revealed a potentially deadly tumor that was successfully removed during a 14-hour operation February third.

"The prognosis is very good," says John today.

John was among 343 people scanned in that mobile unit that was parked out in Center City.

Problems were detected in 15 people and that was a higher than expected number.

Dr. John Lee is the the Penn Medicine neurosurgeon who operated on John.

He says many of his patients ask him if cellphones caused their tumor.

A question he answers by telling them that there's no evidence that the phones can cause brain tumors.

And while he's interested in seeing more research, Dr. Lee says undetected brain tumors are still rare.

"I do not think there is an epidemice of brain tumors that we're not finding," he said.

Janet and John are already planning their next adventure trip and they are feeling very grateful.

Janet even wrote a letter to let us know how our story started the process that saved John's life.

"CBS3, I love you for making that decision," she said. "That's all I can say, I'm sorry I'm Italian, I love you for that, we love you for that."

One more piece of good news, John's tumor was benign.

Dr. Lee says that unlike John, most people with brain tumors do have some symptoms like a change in hearing or dizziness.