Meet Sheena Sharapata

We recently connected with Sheena Sharapata and have shared our conversation below.

Sheena, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?

I was diagnosed with migraines with aura for 18 years from eight concussions while playing competitive soccer. Unfortunately, I had to forgo an athletic college scholarship offer in high school due to an array of head pain symptoms starting at age 14. At age 32 when severe shocks and stabs started in my ear, eye and temple, I sought medical attention. Due to my many migraines, as well as my aunt being diagnosed with Occipital Neuralgia several years ago, my doctor advised an MRI with and without contrast to rule out any neurological conditions. My MRI came back clear of tumors, MS, white matter and aneurysms, but showed that I had a major artery touching/compressing my 5th cranial trigeminal nerve and confirmed that I have Trigeminal Neuralgia (also known as the “Suicide Disease”).

As I continued to search for more in-depth answers to this condition, I went for a consultation with a top neurosurgeon at a well-known national medical center/hospital. The doctor scheduled a Fiesta MRI with and without contrast that confirmed the diagnosis. This type of imaging allowed a closer look with higher-resolution slices to see additional veins, blood vessels or arteries that could be potentially compressing the cranial trigeminal nerve.

I have had two successful Microvascular Decompression surgeries (MVD) for bilateral Trigeminal Neuralgia (bilateral is considered rare), where the neurosurgeon completes a craniotomy by cutting a small hole in the skull behind the ear and then places Teflon pads between the compression of the areas touching. In October of 2019, Dr. Lim, Chair of the Department of Neurosurgery and a board-certified neurosurgeon specializing in brain tumors and trigeminal neuralgia at Stanford Medical Center, completed MVD surgery on my right side, where he decompressed a major artery that was touching my cranial trigeminal nerve in two locations by placing a Teflon pad between the artery and trigeminal nerve. Six months later, in March of 2020, Dr. Lim completed my left side MVD surgery, where he decompressed a vein that was touching my cranial trigeminal nerve in two locations by placing a Teflon pad between the vein and trigeminal nerve.

My symptoms were not typical textbook symptoms with severe tooth pain and severe sensitivity/pain to the face. Instead, I had intense pressure in my head like it was constantly in a vice, pressure in my eyes so bad it felt like they were going to pop out, numbness in my hands/arms, muscle knots everywhere in the back and shoulder blades, blurred vision, strained vision with floaters, a plugged ear with random ringing, anxiety, severe emotional ups and downs, balance issues, electric shocks in my eye, ear and temple, stabbing icepick pain in my ear, and pulsating in my temple.

During my two procedures, I had a feeling from above to share my journey to help others in their search for hope and answers to their many unusual symptoms and debilitating pain. Today, I continue to share my journey and story throughout social media to reach and help many find validation, including athletes, veterans, and first responders. I am also truly blessed that my boyfriend Michael is extremely supportive of my passion in helping others with this condition and he continues to listen and guide me through my current journey with bilateral Occipital Neuralgia while I get nerve blocks in my C2-C5, greater occipital and lesser occipital nerves on both sides.

I created a website about my journey, and currently, individuals from over 40 countries have accessed it. I know my purpose is to spread awareness and my goal is for this website to provide knowledge, comfort, and guidance through the consultation, pre-op, and post-op processes by sharing what worked best for me through my experiences as well as the knowledge I gained over 20+ years. I call this my God Job and His purpose for me.

**This is Sheena Sharapata’s personal medical journey. The contents within the article are not meant to be medical advice.**

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

I work for Randall Reed’s Planet Ford 635 and our aftermarket lifted truck company RAD-Rides in Garland, TX where I am the Director of Training and Recruitment as well as Marketing, Events and Community. I am truly blessed to be able to work with a team that allows the freedom for us to create events and use social media and LinkedIn to connect with business professionals to bring awareness to the missions supporting our veterans, first responders, and children. The nonprofits are able to bring in funds to help individuals in need, and the businesses are able to network with each other for business at events, making new connections. I saw the positive impact social media can have on building a brand and social selling and took it a step further to start my own consulting company, Sheena Sharapata LLC where I run business owner’s personal LinkedIn accounts to develop their brand, social sell, present knowledge on event development, and provide comprehensive development.

Planet Ford 635 hosted the 2nd Annual Planet Ford 635 5-0 Clay Shoot in March of 2024, at Texas Gun Ranch benefiting the Garland Police Never Walk Alone Foundation (GPNWAF). GPNWAF helps Garland PD and their immediate family financially through an illness, and with mental health challenges through partnerships in the community. By networking with companies on LinkedIn, over 150 participants attended the clay shoot in support of the mission, donating $40,000 to the cause. Because of my journey with bilateral Trigeminal Neuralgia (also known as the “Suicide Disease”), this nonprofit event has always been special to me because of its connection to helping those with mental health challenges.

We will host the inaugural Garland 9th Street Gym Showcase – Developing the Future on July 19th, 2024, at the Curtis Culwell Center in Garland, TX, with 12 sanctioned matches USA Boxing with over 400 attendees attending to benefit the nonprofit Garland 9th Street Gym. Our goal from networking companies coming together is to raise $60,000+ to support the gym mission, provide nutritional snacks for athletes, provide up-to-date equipment, provide essentials for boxing and karate, provide travel costs for student athletes competing in Texas and across the US to win titles, and grow the program for students and athletes looking for a place to call home. Many of the students who went through the program are now business owners, doctors, and engineers, and they credit their success to the discipline they learned through the gym program.

We will also host the 5th Annual RAD-Rides 3rd Degree Clay Shoot on August 23rd, 2024, at Texas Gun Ranch, benefiting Sons of the Flag (SOTF). SOTF revolutionizes burn care and quality of life for veterans, first responders, and families. Their programs include research and development in burn care technologies, supporting continuing education for burn fellowships, capital funding for much-needed burn unit equipment, burn survivor group support, pediatric burn camps, and direct burn survivor support. Our goal for this year is a $50,000+ donation, and we are right on track. This nonprofit event is special to me as SOTF works with a team of reconstructive burn surgeons in Florida for life-saving treatments and procedures for burn survivors. Working with this foundation made me realize how crucial it is to go to the best doctors who listen to the patient and make them feel understood, as well as the importance of community when going through medical struggles. In addition, working with this foundation also helped me understand that I needed exceptional doctors in the country when getting diagnosed and making surgical decisions for my Trigeminal Neuralgia. Also, a community of support was needed for fellow MVD surgery “Warriors” and individuals with TN so they would not feel alone and be able to talk to others who were going through the same thing as them and feel validated. “God often uses our deepest pain as the launching pad of our greatest calling.”

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

During my medical journey, I did not take “no” for an answer. On one of many consultation visits with several neurosurgeons in Dallas, TX, one doctor looked at me during my consultation and expressed several comments I will never forget, “your artery isn’t touching your trigeminal nerve”, “it is probably sinus pressure”, “insurance will never cover your MVD craniotomy surgery since you have never been on anti-seizure medications previously”, “you don’t look suicidal to me”. I was devastated, emotional, and frustrated! I did my research and ended up flying across the country to Baltimore, Maryland, to Johns Hopkins Medical Center for Dr. Lim to perform my MVD surgery. A doctor who truly believed in doing God’s work through his hands, listened to his patients, brought validation, had the experience and technology, and most importantly, brought me peace. By being persistent, I was an advocate for myself and was able to get my life back twice with two successful MVD surgeries.

Speaking into existence.

The events started out with $10,000 in donations to the nonprofit. Then the goal was to hit $50,000, which we did. The next goal is to donate $100,000 or more to one of the nonprofits. By staying positive and speaking into existence, I am determined to make it happen and find a way through bringing on larger companies as donors and spreading more awareness for the nonprofit missions.

Not being comfortable.

Always strive to do more, learn more, and help more. I never want to be comfortable. I never want to stop growing. I keep setting new goals for myself. Instead of saying “IF I do it,” I say “WHEN I do it.”

Some personal goals:

– Take on more events and develop current events with a goal of a $100,000 donation to a nonprofit – a goal in the works

– Start a website for side consulting with my LLC – complete

– Start a website with my Trigeminal Neuralgia journey to be able to reach more individuals in need searching for validation and a diagnosis – complete

– Speak on podcasts about my journey with TN and share the videos with others to better provide knowledge since not much is known about TN when researched from the patient perspective – complete

– Write a book or put together a documentary with other MVD warriors/patients who have had successful surgeries to document their symptoms, their challenges, their story. I didn’t have textbook symptoms and was easily dismissed. – Goal in the works

What was the most impactful thing your parents did for you?

The most impactful thing my parents did for me was to provide support, validation, and unconditional love during two of the most difficult times in my life. They originally asked me to find a neurosurgeon in Dallas, TX, for my first MVD craniotomy surgery, but after several negative consultations in Dallas, I had made my mind up to fly to Baltimore, Maryland, for the procedure at Johns Hopkins Hospital with Dr. Lim.When your daughter has never had surgery in her life and then needs a craniotomy surgery for a rare neurological condition and suddenly wants to fly across the country for surgery, it feels like, is this real life right now?! This wasn’t something that we thought would ever happen or be part of life’s plan. It was at that point that I learned to let go and let God.

My mother listened to all my symptoms and the decision-making process surrounding what doctors to see and what procedures to select. In terms of Trigeminal Neuralgia, do you try nerve blocks, laser radiation that could potentially damage a nerve, or MVD surgery that seems more invasive, but doesn’t damage the nerve and is a serious surgery? There isn’t a “how to” book on this neurological disorder, and basically, when I jumped into the surgeries, I had zero clue what to expect when I woke up from surgery and if I would even feel or be the same.

My dad traveled with me to both of my surgeries and made sure I had everything I needed, including getting me back home so, as my dad would put it, “your mother can take care of you.” After my second MVD surgery, elective surgeries were cancelled two days later, and flights were grounded 3-4 days later due to COVID. We switched flights two days post-op to get home. Typical recovery can be 6-12 weeks, and I was able to be back to work after two weeks post-op on each side. My parents supported and nurtured me throughout the entire process…twice! For that, I am forever grateful.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.sheenasharapata.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sheena.sharapata/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sheenasharapata
• Other: Sheena.M.Sharapata@gmail.com