Brandi is a very positive child. At 20 months she has no words, communicates through a few signs and gestures, but it doesn’t hold her back. She’s almost always happy. Her favorite character is Elmo and sometimes Mickey, but she loves watching wrestling shows with her daddy.
In February of last year, she had nausea and weight loss due to obstructive hydrocephalus, caused by her tumor. She was diagnosed with Anaplastic Ependymoma.
She has had multiple surgeries for shunts and tumor resection. For about 6 months she was on feeding tube and unable to eat solids. She was given a very short prognosis (1-3 months) and has been on hospice since leaving the hospital. Brandi has outlived her prognosis by 5 months. She is on oral chemotherapy to control the tumor growth. She is unable to walk or talk because of her tumor.
Brandi’s cancer has made us afraid to live more than a few weeks or months in advance. There is no saying when things will change for her again.This child has gone through so much and misses out on a lot because of her cancer and subsequent disabilities, but it doesn’t hold her back or bother her because that is all she knows. She is a fighter!
Hope session by Paige Everson Fine Art Portraits | Facebook | Instagram