A MUM has told how she spotted her daughter’s brain cancer before doctors noticed several subtle symptoms.
Catherine Owens, 29, from Louisiana, continued to notice that her two-year-old Gracelyn Stiffler felt extremely tired and was also experiencing severe headaches.
However, the mum-of-two said doctors continued to dismiss the symptoms as a “crick in the neck” and they said there was nothing wrong with her.
On one occasion, she even visited the emergency room when Gracelyn vomited, fearing it might not be a concussion.
But again, the mom of three was sent home and told there was nothing to worry about and it was probably “seasonal allergies.”
After symptoms worsened and Gracelyn began having accidents despite being potty trained, Ms. Owens returned to ER and required a CT scan.
Upon further investigation, doctors detected two masses on Gracelyn’s brain which they initially diagnosed as fluid-filled sacs.
To clarify the matter, the toddler was transferred to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital for an MRI.
Catherine Owens, 29, from Louisiana, kept noticing that her two-year-old Gracelyn Stiffler (pictured) was feeling extremely tired and was also suffering from severe headaches
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More detailed scans revealed that TOT actually had a brain tumor that required emergency surgery.
Ms. Owens says her world changed in a day, as the source of Gracelyn’s constant fatigue was finally revealed.
“I knew it was something serious but I didn’t know it was a brain tumor,” Ms Owens told Today.com.
Gracelyn had a grade two ependymoma, which is the third most common type of brain tumor in children.
Ependymomas can be benign or cancerous and Gracelyn’s doctors said hers was “as close to cancer as we can get.”
Approximately 250 children are affected by ependymomas in the United States.
They are diagnosed most often in children aged eight and younger with symptoms including headache, nausea, fatigue, irritability, balance problems and seizures.
Surgery is usually recommended as first-line treatment, except when the tumor is too large to remove.
Ms Owens says her world changed in a day as the source of Gracelyn’s constant fatigue was finally revealed and she was found to have a brain tumor
Gracelyn underwent a nine-hour surgery in December 2023, where doctors removed as much of the tumor as possible
In these cases, a patient may receive chemotherapy to shrink the tumor, followed by its surgical removal.
About 79% of people diagnosed with ependymoma live for five years or more.
Patients tend to have better outcomes when doctors are able to remove all or most of the tumor surgically.
Gracelyn underwent a nine-hour surgery in December 2023, where doctors removed as much of the tumor as possible.
Ms Owens said: “It was intense. They were convinced they had made (the tumor).
However, after surgery, doctors discovered that some of the mass still remained.
They decided that a combination of more surgery and radiation therapy would be the best way to destroy the remaining cancer cells.
In December 2023, Gracelyn began more than two dozen rounds of radiation and she remained at St. Jude until February 2024.
About 79 percent of people diagnosed with ependymoma live for five years or more
Gracelyn is back home and needs no further treatments, just regular check-ups
Ms Owens continues to share her story on social media to encourage parents to ‘always trust your gut mom’
In surgery, there were some minor complications.
A scratch and possible nerve damage led to loss of vision in one eye, while it also left her deaf in her right ear.
It is unknown if the damage to his vision and hearing will be permanent.
And most recently, Gracelyn had to have another surgery after Ms Owen noticed a bump on her head and realized one of the screws from her operation was lifting under the skin.
But for now, Gracelyn is back home and doesn’t need any further treatments, just regular check-ups.
Dr. Nir Shimony, a pediatric neurosurgeon at Semmes Murphey in Memphis and one of Gracelyn’s doctors, Applauds Ms. Owen for pushing for a correct diagnosis and listening to her gut.
However, he also encourages parents to be cautious in assuming that a child’s headaches mean they have a brain tumor.
The doctor explains: “Children can get headaches for many reasons.
“Should we do a head scan for every child with a headache? It’s dangerous. That’s a lot of heads.
“If the headache has no other reasons or there are other signs or symptoms – and especially if the headache is something that is ongoing – it is best to have a test of the head, preferably an MRI, to rule out bad things.”
Ms Owens continues to share her story on social media to encourage parents to “always trust your mom”.
She says: “I knew something was seriously wrong with Gracelyn, my gut mom.
“I want everyone to know that I’m on their side and rooting for them.