Rosie is a silly, quirky child. She can be shy when meeting new people but can become quite the life of the party once comfortable. She loves unicorns and mermaids and Jojo Siwa. She is also obsessed with babies and her baby cousin Sophie, her favorite person in the world.
In May 2021, Rosie began vomiting every morning when she woke up. At first, her doctor thought she had reflux. As the summer months went on, the vomiting worsened, happening multiple times each day. Rosie felt so ill that she stopped eating. She was referred to a GI doctor and a psychiatrist. But in September, she had become so weak she could barely walk. We took her to the ER at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital, where she was immediately diagnosed with brain cancer (Ependymoma).
Rosie had surgery to remove the tumor the day after she was diagnosed. Once recovered, she then completed 33 rounds of proton radiation, followed by four rounds of chemotherapy. The biggest struggle for our family now is just healing from this experience. Rosie struggles with anxiety. Her older sister still struggles with the loss of who her sister was prior to this diagnosis and because she still requires a significant amount of care, her siblings often don’t get the same amount of attention. We are trying to heal as a family, but it is a slow process.
Rosie has permanent hearing loss as a result of the chemo and now has hearing aids. She is also in physical therapy to regain her strength and coordination and has a Mic-key button to supplement her nutrition.
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