The Silence That Changed Everything: Starlita’s Story of Relief, Resilience, and Redemption
07.24.2025
For nearly eight years, Starlita lived in a world consumed by sound. It was a relentless, high-pitched noise in her right ear that never let up. Caused by a traumatic car accident in 2018, the sound wasn’t just a nuisance; it was debilitating. Like the persistent pulse of an ultrasound machine, the noise grew louder with time. It stole her sleep, drained her energy, and disrupted her joy.
“I would hear it every second of every day,” she said. “It made me irritable, anxious, and sometimes, just desperate for peace. It felt like I couldn’t ever fully rest.”
Doctors eventually diagnosed her with pulsatile tinnitus, a rare type of tinnitus that’s different from the typical ringing in the ears. Instead of a tone, people with this condition hear the sound of their own heartbeat or blood flow pulsing through their ear, loudly and constantly. In Starlita’s case, a damaged or narrowed vein behind her right ear was forcing blood through a tight space, causing that whooshing, pounding sound to echo in her head.
At first, she thought it might just be water trapped in her ear. She tried everything. She tried home remedies, blow dryers, even tilting her head and shaking, but nothing stopped the noise. Multiple doctors couldn’t offer lasting solutions. She was referred to an ENT specialist, who then referred her to another specialist in a different town. But the visits, tests, and promises led nowhere. Every option felt like a dead end.
“You start to wonder if you’re going crazy,” she said. “It was invisible to everyone else, but for me, it was all-consuming.”
She’d learned to live with the constant noise, but just barely.
A Twist of Fate
Then, in a moment that felt orchestrated by something greater, Starlita’s sister developed a severe mouth abscess that landed her in the emergency room. A scan intended to diagnose a dental infection uncovered something far more serious: a brain aneurysm. That aneurysm led them to neurosurgeon Jonathan Parish, MD, with Carolina NeuroSurgery & Spine Associates.
After performing a successful surgery on her sister, Dr. Parish met the family in the recovery room. As he calmly explained the procedure, Starlita found herself thinking not just about her sister, but about her decade-long struggle.
“When
he finished, I just said, ‘Excuse me, can I talk to you about
something?’” she recalled. “I told him everything; about the
accident, the sound, the years of no answers. And he said, without
skipping a beat, ‘Yeah! I can help you.”
A Doctor Who Listened
Dr. Parish, along with his colleague Mallory Young, PA-C, ordered diagnostic tests that revealed the root of Starlita’s condition: a narrow vein behind her right ear was restricting blood flow and causing the relentless pulsing sound in her head. Dr. Parish recommended a stent placement to widen the vein and restore normal circulation.
“It felt too good to be true,” she said. “But I told Dr. Parish, if you can do this, I will be forever grateful.”
In May 2025, Starlita underwent the procedure at Atrium Health, supported by a collaborative care team from Atrium Health and Carolina NeuroSurgery & Spine Associates under the direction of Dr. Jonathan Parish. When she woke up in the recovery room, she knew immediately that something was different.
“It was quiet. I just started crying. I hadn’t experienced silence like that in years. It was as if someone had turned off the static in my brain.”
A Life Transformed
Since the surgery, everything has changed for Starlita. She can sleep through the night. She has more energy. Her anxiety has eased. She’s more patient with her children. She’s more present at her son’s basketball games and middle school band concerts. These were moments that the noise used to make overwhelming.
“I used to have to press my fingers to my neck just to slightly muffle the sound, knowing I could only do it for a few seconds before I’d get dizzy. Now, I just live.”
She speaks of Dr. Parish with deep admiration and warmth.
“He’s more than just a brilliant surgeon. He’s kind, personable, and attentive. I never felt rushed, never felt like I was a burden. He changed my life, and my sister’s too. He’s our angel.”
More Than Medicine
Starlita’s story is a powerful reminder that healing doesn’t always follow a straight line. Sometimes, the path to relief winds through unexpected moments, such as a family emergency, a chance conversation, or a doctor who listens.
At CNSA, we believe in those moments. In showing up. In listening deeply. And in never giving up on someone’s story, even when the answers aren’t obvious.
As Starlita puts it, “God had a plan. We didn’t know what it was at the time. But now we do. And it led us to the right place, with the right people.”
Exceptional outcomes happen when great teams come together. We're proud to work alongside our trusted hospital partner, Atrium Health, to deliver advanced care to patients like Starlita, right where they live.
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