Help baby Xenia beat brain tumor
Donation protected
On January 30th 2016 , Ana Pittis and Jaimy Verhagen were confronted with the hardest of news: their 2 month old bundle of joy had a brain tumor.
Ana flew to Denver with Xenia to seek special treatment at the Colorado Children's Hospital, Jaimy soon followed. She was scheduled the next day for biopsy surgery, in order to take a sample of the tumor. The tumor was found to contain a great deal of fluid, and her head cavity was also drained. Later on we received the results of the biopsy. The tumor is called anaplastic ependymoma, a very uncommon and aggressive malignant tumor in children, especially in her, as it is located in the occipital lobe of the brain, an area which controls cognitive function.
On February 9th our little fighter went through the full surgery to remove all of the tumor. The tumor was exceedingly large and had deformed her brain. After the surgery an MRI revealed that a small bit of the tumor was left deeper in the brain. Doctors still have yet to decide if they want to surgically remove the rest of this tumor or treat it with chemotherapy.
The above photograph shows Xenia right after surgery
Xenia is now 2 months and almost 3 weeks old. Her parents, Ana and Jaimy, will be in Denver possibly for months while Xenia undergoes treatment, unable to work. There are still many unknowns as to Xenia's treatment and how long it may take, but she will need special care for years.
In spite of all this trauma Xenia could make a full recovery and be a normal child/adult. We remain optimistic. Our little one is strong and a true blessing to our family. We are so thankful to the many that have kept her in their thoughts and prayers as she goes through this tumultuous time. Any donations that you would like to contribute towards her special care and assisting Ana and Jaimy would mean a lot to our family.
Ana flew to Denver with Xenia to seek special treatment at the Colorado Children's Hospital, Jaimy soon followed. She was scheduled the next day for biopsy surgery, in order to take a sample of the tumor. The tumor was found to contain a great deal of fluid, and her head cavity was also drained. Later on we received the results of the biopsy. The tumor is called anaplastic ependymoma, a very uncommon and aggressive malignant tumor in children, especially in her, as it is located in the occipital lobe of the brain, an area which controls cognitive function.
On February 9th our little fighter went through the full surgery to remove all of the tumor. The tumor was exceedingly large and had deformed her brain. After the surgery an MRI revealed that a small bit of the tumor was left deeper in the brain. Doctors still have yet to decide if they want to surgically remove the rest of this tumor or treat it with chemotherapy.
The above photograph shows Xenia right after surgeryXenia is now 2 months and almost 3 weeks old. Her parents, Ana and Jaimy, will be in Denver possibly for months while Xenia undergoes treatment, unable to work. There are still many unknowns as to Xenia's treatment and how long it may take, but she will need special care for years.
In spite of all this trauma Xenia could make a full recovery and be a normal child/adult. We remain optimistic. Our little one is strong and a true blessing to our family. We are so thankful to the many that have kept her in their thoughts and prayers as she goes through this tumultuous time. Any donations that you would like to contribute towards her special care and assisting Ana and Jaimy would mean a lot to our family.
Organizer and beneficiary
David Pittis
Organizer
Santa Fe, NM
Anastasia Pittis
Beneficiary