Morgan A.

Morgan was a normal, healthy, very happy 5-year old girl when she was diagnosed with a Glioblastoma Multiforme brain tumor in December of 1997. She’d had no real outward symptoms and her diagnosis was utterly incomprehensible. We were told that GBMs were very rare in children and that Morgan likely had only a 15% chance of surviving this tumor. Her tumor was large and devastating and she had many post-surgical deficits, including a significant left-side paralysis. We were told, among other things, that it was unlikely she would walk again.

Morgan bravely battled her cancer and she shined through it all, never complaining. She had 3 surgeries, several rounds of high-dose chemotherapy, a ‘stint’ on the Bone Marrow Transplant Unit, a bout of RSV, and an endless parade of blood transfusions. But she also had many successes along the way: she not only walked again – she ran, skipped, and even turned cartwheels, ate chocolate, and most importantly of all, she got to go to first grade.

With so many “wins,” we were sure that she had beaten her cancer, but in late August of 1998, we faced our second devastating consultation with her doctors and were told that her tumor had recurred. Because of our decision to aggressively treat her initial cancer, there was nothing left that we could try. We spent her last few months quietly – with friends and family who had walked this road with us. Morgan died peacefully and at home on November 7th, 1998, at the age of 6.