Nekima Levy Armstrong says she underwent brain surgery to remove tumor in September

MINNEAPOLIS -- Local civil rights attorney Nekima Levy Armstrong revealed on social media Monday night she underwent neurosurgery in September to remove a brain tumor.

"It was just a terrifying experience," she said in a Facebook livestream. "All we could do was pray. I just had to have faith that this wasn't the end of my story."  

Levy Armstrong said she was having issues with blurriness in her right eye in July, so she went to an eye doctor. When that doctor couldn't identify the issue's cause, she was referred to a specialist.

In September, Levy Armstrong underwent tests and an MRI, she said. In mid-September, her specialist called with her results: she had a brain tumor pushing against her optic nerve, and she would require neurosurgery.

"Of course I'm shell-shocked," she said. "I didn't know if that would be the end of my life."  

Levy Armstrong went to Los Angeles for a work event and to visit family, then returned to Minnesota for her surgery, which occurred on Sept. 19.

"I let my mom and my stepdad and my siblings know, and I gave them a hug, honestly not knowing if it would be the last time that I saw them or not," she said.  

The surgery was successful she said, and it was determined the cancer was non-cancerous. She stayed in the hospital for about a week after the operation, and said her recovery is ongoing.

"I'm thankful to everyone who loved on me, prayed on me, supported me, cared for me during the time that I was recovering," she said. "I feel like I'm still recovering, of course, because it's a process when you go through something like that."  

Levy Armstrong she has since returned to "light work," and she looks forward to getting back to her advocacy and activism.

"The fire was still in me" after the surgery, she said. "I could not contain the fire of speaking the truth."

She also said the experience has given her "a whole different perspective."

"All I can do is be grateful for coming out of this situation as a survivor, strong, prayed up and with my faith actually stronger now than it was before the experience that I had," she said. "Really, at the end of the day I want to just let all of us know that we should definitely be grateful for every day that we have on this earth, the breath that we breathe, the life that we have, because tomorrow is not promised. Tomorrow is not guaranteed."