TUESDAY, JUNE 22, 2021 | SECTION B
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THE LI’L WRANGLER
Georgia’s Journey By JESSICA CRIM Georgia’s Mother
treatments. Chemo was hard, but I’m grateful it was not as hard as it could have been. She completed chemo on May 21, 2019. We had another MRI at the end of May that showed the tumor was still there but no longer on her brain stem. On June 17th, as we waited with Georgia in her pre-op room with all our family, she was so happy and was laughing and joking. She knew what she was about to face with her second brain surgery, and she remembered how hard recovery was. Even knowing all this, Georgia was so happy and joyful, with a peace only Jesus can give.
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n February 16, 2019, I took my children, Georgia and Memphis, to the Mrs. Lee’s Daffodil Garden in Gladewater to take their pictures. On the way home, Georgia complained of her head hurting badly, to the point she didn’t want to talk or eat lunch— because she said it hurt so bad. For the next four weeks she had fever, headache, and occasional nausea. We saw her pediatrician, Dr. Ellen Melton, several times in an effort to figure out what was going on. Blood tests and exams all showed to be negative or normal. Headaches and fever were so on and off, we could not figure out the reason or pattern. An MRI was scheduled, but I canceled it because Georgia had two good days of no symptoms. The headaches and fever came back about a week and a half later; so, on March 19th she had her rescheduled MRI appointment. The anesthesiologist came out and told us that they found something. Her pediatrician called us and gave us the name of the on-call neurosurgeon that would meet us at Dallas’ Children’s Hospital ER right away. We got to Children’s Hospital and finally saw the neurosurgeon, who told us of the severity and the location of the tumor: between her brain stem and cerebellum.
Georgia went into brain surgery early in the morning of March 20th. Because her neurosurgeon, Dr. Brett Whittemore, would be scraping away the tumor from the cerebellum and against her brain stem, we had to sign papers stating we wished to move forward despite what might happen. Some of those side effects might be inability to walk, losing the ability to use one of her arms, facial paralysis on one side of her face, facial muscles drooping, eye lid sagging, and losing the ability to use her tongue to swallow, eat, and talk. We prayed hard. She was away from us for six hours. About 85% of her tumor was malignant and was confirmed to be a rare type of brain cancer, Ependymoma. After a week in the hospital, we were discharged, and she was walking, talking, blinking her eyes, smiling, had strength in all her limbs, and she was eating and drinking. After about four weeks of recovery, she had another surgery to place a port in her chest and began the chemo treatments that same day. Over the next six weeks, Georgia received numerous chemo
The surgery took six hours. Her recovery in ICU this time around was a lot different. She was not as sick, she opened her eyes and talked to us within hours of being there. Her neurosurgeon came in the room to check on her and said, “Are you sure you had brain surgery yesterday?” We were all so happy and relieved to see her doing so well. The neurosurgeon came in two days after surgery and pulled up her MRI to show me there was no tumor remaining. Absolutely nothing showed on her scans. He got everything in surgery.
Photo by Donna Cummings Photography
I don’t know how we could have gone through this journey without Jesus. His steadfast love and protection give me a peace that can only come from Him! JESSICA CRIM
Next to surgery, radiation therapy is especially important to ensure the best outcome of this brain cancer never returning. That’s why proton radiation was the best choice for Georgia. Most children require anesthesia for their treatments. Georgia said she could do it without anesthesia. She was laid on a table with a full plastic face mask on that snaps to the table so she could not turn her head. She could not move even a centimeter during the treatment. For thirty days, Georgia did this anesthesia-free, all by herself, with her amazing child life specialist, Laura Drap, by her side. They said she was the youngest patient they ever treated without anesthesia. Another answer to prayers! August 16, 2019, her brother’s first birthday, was her last day of proton therapy. She got to start kindergarten right on time with everyone, and for the first time, she is taking tap and ballet. She has been having an MRI every three months, and all have been clear. Beginning after her July 1st scan, she will begin having MRIs only every six months. We continue to pray and have faith Georgia will live the rest of her life cancer free.