What A Mother Hopes Others Can Learn From Her Ordeal
- Elaine Taylor hopes other mothers will trust their instincts if they sense something wrong, after her nine-year-old daughter was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor.
- Taylor said her daughter showed no symptoms until she suddenly had issues with one of her arms and one of her legs and had difficulty walking.
- According to the American Cancer Society, over 25,000 malignant brain and spinal tumors are expected to be found in Americans in 2022, a number that would be much higher if malignant tumors are included in the tally.
"A parent should always go with their instincts and trust their instincts if they know something is wrong with their child," Elaine Taylor told The Daily Record. "I ask myself now if I missed something, but the doctors have told me there is nothing more I could have done."
Read More“I never expected this to happen. Never in a million years," said Taylor. “Faye had no symptoms before that day. This came completely out of the blue. I really thought they were going to tell me she had a childhood stroke, or cerebral palsy, or even MS."
A biopsy revealed the cancer was already at stage four and probably inoperable. Doctors told the family that due to the tumor’s location, surgery was not an option and neither was chemotherapy.
Since then, Taylor, her husband Gavin and the couple’s other two children have watched as Faye’s condition has worsened. She will undergo radiotherapy as part of an effort to slow the cancer’s progression.
“Her left side is numb and she can only walk short distances, but then she tires very easily and has to use a wheelchair," said Taylor. "And she used to be so independent and so happy, but now she is withdrawn and scared.”
Taylor hopes that other parents can learn from her experience and has expressed gratitude to the community that rallied around her family. A GoFundMe page has been set up to help the family pay for food and gasoline costs, as well as to help the family make some lasting memories with Faye.
“It is impossible to thank everyone who has offered support, but it means so much to us.”
Brain Tumor Facts
According to the American Cancer Society, over 25,000 malignant brain and spinal tumors are expected to be found in Americans in 2022, a number that would be much higher if malignant tumors are included in the tally.
Over 18,000 people are expected to die of those types of tumors in 2022.
The risk of developing a brain or spinal tumor is relatively low, with fewer than 1 per cent of Americans likely to develop a malignant tumor in those areas during their lifetime. Survival rates can vary depending on the type of tumor, from 92 per cent over a five year span for ependymoma or anaplastic ependymoma found in people between the ages of 20 to 44 on the high end to just six per cent for glioblastoma diagnosed in people between 55 and 64.
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