Julie started complaining of headaces at the age of 3. At her four year old check up, I told the peditrician that she often had headaches that were getting notably worse. She thought we should go see a neurologist but if Julie were to vomit again because she had vomitted that day to go to the ER.
Julie did vomit and we went to the ER where a CT scan was ordered. The CT scan showed a mass on her brain. We were then transported to another hospital and was told that Julie had a brain tumor and needed surgery immediately to relieve the pressure on her brain. We waited three weeks for the results of the biopsy of the tumor to find that Julie had a malignant brain tumor known as a Pineoblastoma.
She underwent a six hour surgery and the neurosurgeon was able to completely resecti her tumor. She had six rounds of intense chemotherapy and three stem cell transplants.
Julie received all treatment and surgeries at CHOP. We spent the majority of our time inpatient at CHOP for eight months. Julie was on restriction when she came home for 3 months. Treatment was difficult and being away from her sister was hard. She developed severe mouth sores, needed a feeding tube, and had terrible stomach pains.
It was incredibly hard to watch Julie go through all of this. She has lost the highest pitch for hearing, but continues to thrive. She is now back in school and doing well. We continue to pray that she will forever remain in remission and be cancer free.
Hope session by Valery Phalon Photography | Instagram