My name is Madi, and I have been battling brain cancer since December 2023. I was having terrible headaches and couldn't walk straight, which raised concern in me and my parents. We consulted with my pediatrician. He did a very thorough check and called his friend, who was a specialist, because my symptoms were something he's never seen before. They both agreed to send me in for an MRI the following week. 

I went in for the MRI at 7:30AM on December 14th. They put the head cage over me, which had a mirror where I could see the doctors who were doing my scan. Suddenly the machine stopped, and four doctors rushed in and started looking at the screen. What they were looking at was the huge tumor in the cerebellum of my brain. I was immediately transferred to Lehigh Valley Reilly Children's Hospital and got admitted into the ER, where I met the surgeon who saved my life, Dr. Hong. He said we had to get it removed to biopsy the tumor and see what type it was to get my treatment started. 

The day of the surgery, Dr. Hong let me and my parents know that there was a chance I was going to wake up with a syndrome called "Posterior Fossa Syndrome," which causes the inability to walk, talk, and use my hands. I had the tumor removed the day after, resulting in an eight-hour surgery. I had a very difficult time coming out of sedation. The tumor was a group four medulloblastoma (which we didn't find out till later) - a fast growing, malignant brain tumor. 

I recovered in the PICU (pediatric intensive care unit) for two weeks until I was transferred to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia on December 27th. I stayed in the oncology unit until the first week of January, when I got moved to The Seashore House, which is the inpatient rehab area. While I was staying in Seashore, I had the greatest therapists who helped me get back to as normal as possible before I was discharged. Posterior Fossa Syndrome definitely made getting back to myself a challenge, and I'm still not 100% there. But progress has been made. 

During inpatient rehab, I was also receiving 30 rounds of proton radiation to my brain at the University of Pennsylvania. I returned home for good on February 22nd after ringing the first bell of my journey.

I still have a long road ahead. I continue treatment at Lehigh Valley Reilly Children’s Hospital. I met with my oncology team in March, and my doctor went over the treatment plan, read us every possible side effect, short term to long term. I have never been more determined to get back to school - and to be able to walk again, go out with my friends, and just be a normal 15-year-old girl. If I learned anything, it's to never take your life for granted because life as you know it can change in a second.

I couldn't be more grateful for my pediatrician, Dr Toft, who didn't hesitate to send me in for a scan, my amazing team of oncologists, my nurses, my surgeon, the CHOP and LVRCH therapists, and my radiation team at the University of Pennsylvania.  And I am thankful to PCFLV for guiding my family through this nightmare and helping my two younger siblings learn to cope better with my diagnosis. Saying this whole experience changed my life is an understatement. This journey has changed me for the better, and I know I'll be stronger the day I ring that bell, symbolizing that I beat cancer.

Written by Madi

Please consider helping children with cancer and others in our community by scheduling a blood donation at Miller-Keystone Blood Center: https://donor.giveapint.org/donor/schedules/zip