City Of Hoover - Mayor Brocato's Weekly Update For January 13, 2023

It was 2018. Donna Francavilla was on the air in New York, reporting on a story for WCBS Radio when, in an instant, her life changed.

"I suddenly lost hearing on my right side," Francavilla recalls. "At that point, I went to get checked out, and that's when they determined what it was."
 
 Doctors diagnosed the award winning journalist with Acoustic Neuroma - a benign brain tumor that forms between your eardrum and your brain. 

"It is sometimes debilitating because it can grow very large and a person won't even be aware that they have" Francavilla explains.

Since that time four years ago, she's endured two brain surgeries, undergone radiation, battled Hydrocephalus (water on the brain) and still continues to live every day with part of the tumor that's attached to her facial nerve. Yet every time you see her, she beams and greets you with a hug.

"You know, I'm really, really grateful and happily smiling for every picture because I can. I now appreciate being able to do that." 

But Francavilla says there are so many people struggling with unseen ailments every day. And raising awareness about that and her condition are part of her aims while she serves as Ms. Senior Hoover 2023.

"There are so many people struggling with unseen ailments and challenges and we're to show compassion and understanding to all of them, because you, when you run into somebody you don't k what burdens they're carrying.

According to their website, Ms. Senior Alabama is "a non-profit 501 (c) (3) organization dedicated to enrich the lives of senior women, while offering opportunities for them to share their experiences, wisdom and insights with others."

The site goes on to say the organization was formed in 1987 and holds the Ms. Senior Alabama pageant every year. This year it will be held in June and will feature a category Ms. Senior Alabama, which includes women ages 60 to 78. There's also the category of Ms. Superior Senior Alabama for women age 79 and above. The winner of Ms. Senior Alabama goes on to compete in Ms. Senior World. 

While Francavilla wants to raise awareness about Acoustic Neuroma, her official platform as Ms. Senior Hoover 2023 is Journalism Education and the scholarships offered by Alabama Media Professionals, of which she serves as chairwoman of the organization's Education Fund.

"We try to raise money to give to high school students and college students so that they can hopefully become responsible journalists," she explains. 

It's a passion dear to Francavilla's heart considering she's dedicated her life to the profession. She worked for CBS Radio on a freelance basis and also on TV for 20 years. That included freelance projects for CBS Radio. She also produced segments for CBS TV'sThe Early Show, 60 Minutes and Oprah Winfrey's Where Are They Now? series. She has completed two international fellowships and an exchange program with Germany. In 2000 and 2006, she did a seven point series on Alabama's connection to Germany. She was named "Who’s Who in the South and Southwest", "Who’s Who in America" and "Who’s Who in the World".

Francavilla moved to Hoover with her family in 1994. She is a graduate of Leadership Hoover, Leadership Birmingham and Leadership Shelby County.

"It's a community I've come to love. I'm proud to represent Hoover. The mayor has been so supportive - it's wonderful," Francavilla says.  "We have grown by leaps and bounds and there's a positive energy that has been created that filters from the top down. I'm seeing business prosper. I'm seeing more movement into the community. I'm proud to represent Hoover." 

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