Living with Cancer
- Ella Pick, 18, was on an extended girls’ trip when she suddenly felt “off” and assumed it could be from drinking alcohol. Later, she was shocked to find out she was experiencing symptoms of brain cancer.
- Because of the location of the tumor, Ella was unable to have a biopsy and, therefore unable to have surgery. However, she underwent 6 weeks of radiation to help slow the progression of the tumor and her latest scan showed no growth. Thankfully she went to the hospital as soon as she started experiencing worsening symptoms.
- Now 19, Ella is keeping up the fight, living her life as normally as possible, working and enjoying family time, all while not giving up hope and aiming to get on a clinical trial.
- SurvivorNet has created a useful tool and guide to clinical trials, where we explain what clinical trials are, why they’re so important and how to go about taking part in one. If you’re looking for a clinical trial, check out our SurvivorNet Clinical Trial Finder.
“I thought maybe it could be a hangover. I just felt off. Now I look back and think I clearly wasn’t well,” Ella shared to Kennedy News and Media picked up by DailyMail.com.
Read More“The pressure in the back of my head was awful,” Ella recalled. “I’ve always suffered with migraines but never to that extent.”
A Devastating Diagnosis
As symptoms progressed, Ella then noticed a concerning symptom with her eye. “My left eye drifted inwards towards the middle of my face.”
Ella went to get her eyes checked and was immediately referred to a hospital. Sadly, after some tests, doctors told her they had found a lump on her brain.
Ella learned she had a diffuse midline glioma, known as DIPG. “I just felt completely numb. It still doesn’t feel real.”
According to NCI, all DIPG tumors are grade 4 tumors and are known as aggressive, or fast-growing tumors.
Because of the location of the tumor, Ella is unable to have a biopsy, therefore unable to have surgery. However, her care team performed 6 weeks of radiation last year to help slow the progression of the tumor.
Keeping Up the Fight
Despite her prognosis, Ella is keeping her spirits up with work and is not losing hope.
“Everyone else around me is hurting more than I am,” she said. “I’ve gone back to work and would rather just go on with life as normal.”
SN & You Presents Mental Health: Coping With Emotions
Ella, who studied travel in tourism at Boston College and dreamed of becoming a flight attendant, according to a family fundraiser, has also been able to enjoy some more vacations with her family.
“I’m just trying to get away as much as possible and stay positive,” shared Ella, who is described as “gorgeous and bubbly” by her loved ones on GoFundMe.
Thankfully, Ella’s latest scan showed that the tumor has not been growing and she is determined to keep going.
“There’s always different trials with different drugs. I’d be willing to try anything,” she said.
Understanding Brain Tumors
Brain tumors can be either cancerous (malignant) or benign (noncancerous) and can affect both children and adults, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
The central nervous system, which includes the brain and spinal cord, acts as the main processing center for the nervous system as a whole, the American Cancer Society explains. The central nervous system’s normal functioning, which involves sending messages from the brain to other parts of the body, becomes disrupted if tumors are present.
Primary tumors are “glial” or “non-glial.” Glial tumors (which categorizes Ella’s DIPG tumor) found in the brain are composed of glial cells, which “help support, connect, and protect the neurons of the central and peripheral nervous systems,” cites Medical News Today.
Non-glial tumors develop on or in the structures of the brain including nerves, blood vessels and glands.
Malignant or cancerous tumors include:
- Glioma (Ella’s type of tumor), which makes up 78% of cancerous primary brain tumors
- Astrocytoma
- Ependymomas
- Glioblastoma
- Oligodendroglioma
- Medulloblastoma
Benign or noncancerous brain tumors include:
- Chordomas
- Craniopharyngiomas
- Gangliocytomas
- Glomus jugulare
- Meningiomas
- Pineocytomas
- Pituitary adenomas
- Schwannomas
- Acoustic neuromas
Signs And Symptoms of a Cancerous Brain Tumor
The signs and symptoms of a cancerous brain tumor can vary greatly based on the size, spread, and location of the cancer.
As a result, some individuals will not feel any real effects for some time while others will start to show symptoms almost immediately after the cancer starts to grow.
Common symptoms include:
- Intense and frequent headaches
- Intense pressure similar to a sinus infection
- Seizures
- Body tremors
- Nausea
- Fatigue
- Sudden changes in behavior
- Shifts in personality
- Short-term memory loss
- Weakness of the legs and/or arms in one side of the body
- Blurred vision
- Difficulty speaking and remembering words
Individuals who experience multiple symptoms for any extended period of time, or just feel off and not themselves, should schedule an appointment with their doctor.
Clinical Trials
Here at SurvivorNet, it’s our goal to help cancer patients make the most informed decisions when it comes to their health.
Sometimes, joining a clinical trial is a good decision.
Every life-saving or life-extending treatment that’s available today for cancer started its journey in a clinical trial. A clinical trial is a study that helps doctors better understand cancer, and discover safer and more effective ways to treat it. Clinical trials also give patients a chance to try a treatment before it’s approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Why I’d Choose a Clinical Trial For Myself
This is SurvivorNet’s guide to clinical trials, where we’ll explain what clinical trials are, why they’re so important and how to go about taking part in one. These trials can give patients access to incredible new therapies, or what some would call “tomorrow’s medicine,” today.
If you’re looking for a clinical trial, SurvivorNet can help. Check out the SurvivorNet Clinical Trial Finder. There is always hope.
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