A routine medical visit in January 2026 turned into a life-changing moment for Taylor Jacobus, a dedicated turkey hunter from Hanover, when his doctor delivered shocking news: “You have a tumor growing in your head.”
Jacobus had visited his physician seeking relief from headaches, mild ear ringing, facial sensations, and sinus pressure. Instead of simple treatment, the doctor ordered an MRI that revealed a 2.5-centimeter vestibular schwannoma — also called an acoustic neuroma — developing on the nerve connecting his ear to his brain.
The 38-year-old consulted with four neurosurgical teams nationwide before facing a frightening but necessary decision: undergo a craniotomy to extract the tumor before it could further compress his brain stem.
While acoustic neuromas are rare, affecting roughly one in 100,000 people each year, they are usually non-cancerous. Despite various surgical risks, Jacobus faced one particularly devastating possibility — complete hearing loss. For someone who had pursued turkey hunting passionately for more than twenty years, this prospect was heartbreaking.
Sound plays a crucial role in successful turkey hunting. Hunters rely on treetop gobbles and ground-level spitting and drumming to track, locate, and call in their prey. The thought of hunting turkeys with hearing in only one ear seemed insurmountable to Jacobus, though dedicated turkey hunters understand the value of determination.
Seventy-four days after his diagnosis, Jacobus endured more than eight hours of surgery at Duke University Hospital in North Carolina. He awakened to remarkable news: surgeons achieved 90-95 percent tumor removal, preserved his facial nerve completely, and most surprisingly, maintained partial hearing in his right ear. The outcome felt like a miracle, particularly with spring turkey season approaching.
Recovery required 11 days with a walker, 28 days without driving, and 37 days unable to lift his son. Jacobus persevered through the challenging initial weeks and received medical clearance after five and a half weeks — perfectly timed for week three of Virginia’s spring turkey season.
The cool, dewy April mornings soon called Jacobus back to the forest. Armed with specialized hearing aids and physical therapy experience, he headed to his childhood home in Doswell to hunt familiar territory.
His first obstacle was navigating in darkness. With his vestibular system relearning balance, walking became especially challenging without adequate lighting. Step by step, he carefully made his way to a trusted corner of the family land where the powerline intersected with oak trees.
Locating birds presented his next challenge. After sunrise and several mouth calls, gobblers responded from various directions. While ideal for hunting, determining their exact locations proved difficult. Minutes stretched endlessly as Jacobus wrestled with uncertainty, questioning whether to trust his compromised senses or rely on instinct.
Drawing on muscle memory, Jacobus made one final call before falling completely silent, controlling his breathing and calming his racing heart. This strategy paid off when the closest tom immediately responded again, this time clearly moving in his direction. Jacobus knew the bird was approaching.
Using only his eyes to scan the area, Jacobus spotted the gobbler’s fanned tail appearing over the hill, heading directly toward his decoys. The long-awaited moment had arrived. What once seemed impossible was now strutting toward the decoys in full display. After watching the aggressive tom confront his jake decoy and circle once, Jacobus achieved perfect focus and made a clean, lethal shot.
This successful hunt carried extra meaning, occurring exactly six weeks after his surgery. The experience created a feeling and memory he will treasure forever. Life presents challenges similar to turkey hunting, but this story demonstrates that with determination, obstacles can be overcome.
Caitlyn Jacobus is the DWR Digital Marketing Manager and Taylor Jacobus’ wife.
