Celina is the true definition of a hero, especially to her parents, George and Krystal. She had never once been sick or even had so much as a fever. Not until September 18, 2017. After that, their world was forever changed.
On October 10th, 2017, at only 10 months old, Celina was diagnosed with a very aggressive, malignant brain tumour that would require surgical removal. The name of her cancer is Choroid Plexus Carcinoma. That month, Celina endured two lengthy brain surgeries to remove the tumour.
“During the first, our baby girl arrested twice,” her parents recall, “and the doctors had to abort the procedure to save her life.” Two and a half weeks later, during the second surgery, they were able to remove all of the tumour, a total resection.
Then came chemotherapy. November 14th was their first day.
Celina went through a total of eight rounds of very intense chemo. She tolerated each one like the champ she has always been.
Celina is now on the road to recovery. The family’s main focus is therapy – physio, speech, vision and occupational. Celina has recently been accepted to the Pratten 1 program at CPRI where she goes once a month for a week at a time, full days Monday-Friday 9 am-4 pm. This program has significantly helped her social skills. Celina has learned to crawl, say some words and is just beginning to put food her in mouth. All of this is amazing progress for her.
“We can’t say how long it will take until she is back to herself again,” says Krystal, “but we do know that she is constantly surprising us and will recover sooner than we think. We can see it in the way she wrinkles her nose when she smiles and how, even through all of this, she is still full of giggles, bringing sunshine to everyone around her.”
After a total of nine surgeries and eight rounds of chemotherapy, it’s easy to see why Celina is a hero. “She has taught us to value the little things in life and she will continue to for the rest of our lives,” says Krystal. “We love you Celina!“