In 2012, Holland Carlton received a concussion diagnosis and received an MRI in the ED as a precaution. That MRI led to the discovery of a 17-millimeter brain tumor.

Dr. Reisner and the neurosurgery team monitored Holland closely for 3 years. In March 2015, the neurosurgery team saw the tumor was beginning to grow and scheduled a surgery to remove the mass.

On St. Patrick’s Day in 2015, Dr. Reisner and Dr. Joshua Chern removed the tumor during a nine-hour surgery and NP Blaire Holbrook provided hourly updates to Holland’s family.

The surgery was successful and after a few days of recovery, Holand began therapy in the Inpatient Rehabilitation Unit to relearn motor skills and later transitioned to Day Rehabilitation.

Holland made a full recovery and returned to an active life taking up cross country and swimming.

Every year since Holland’s surgery, Dr. Reisner and Holland connected through dinners and phone calls. This tradition continued throughout past Holland’s high school and college years.

Holland felt drawn to return to Children’s and wanted to help other kids going through similar experience and joined the Children’s team during the summer of 2025. Holland works with the neurosurgery team scheduling neuro patient care and directly works with the surgeons and team that provided her life-saving care.

“Being back here has been everything I’ve dreamed of,” Holland said. “My desk is in Neurosurgery, and the surgeons who saved me walk by to save others every day. I’ve even met a few patients who have the same type of tumor that I had. It means to world that I get to share a little bit of encouragement with them in those moments.”



“Some moments may seem to feel like luck or chance, but in truth, they are something far deeper,” Dr. Reisner said. “Being part of Holland’s journey—especially on that St. Patrick’s Day—is a privilege I will always carry with me. I’ve witnessed not just good fortune, but courage, resilience and the quiet grace of an extraordinary young lady who has been inspirational to all, myself included.”