as told by her mom, Jenn.
Our family’s journey started on May 15th, 2012 – with what we thought was a flu bug. Little did we know our lives would change forever. Our seven-year old daughter, Maya, was diagnosed with an egg-sized brain tumour (medulloblastoma) and airlifted from Windsor Regional Hospital to London Health Sciences Centre where we would stay for the next two months.
Maya has always been a strong girl but her strength through the last four years has been incredible! SHE KICKED CANCER’S BUTT! We look at her every day and can’t believe how far she’s come and what she has been through…a 13-hour brain surgery, posterior fossa syndrome with months of rehabilitation, 30 daily doses of radiation to both her head and spine, 18 months of chemotherapy, multiple blood transfusions, feeding tubes inserted daily due to uncontrollable vomiting… and through it all she continued smiling!
Maya still continues to amaze us with all the after-care “hurdles” we are going through now. You think treatment is over once the protocol ends but, sadly, that isn’t the case.
Our family’s new motto is “one day at a time!”
Thankfully, through all of this, we’ve had and continue to have the support of family and friends and the support of organizations such as Childcan, Ronald McDonald House and POGO to help with this journey.
Knowing we aren’t alone makes all the difference in the world!