Ayverie’s Story
Story and photos courtesy Valerie Caster
“January 2013: My 7 year old daughter Ayverie started to show signs of a typical flu – vomiting, headaches, fevers and dizziness. After weeks of back and forth from the doctors, specialists and the hospital, on January 31, 2013 through a CT scan a 5cm mass was discovered on Ayverie’s brain stem. Ayverie was rushed by ambulance to McMaster Children’s Hospital, and into the PICU. Ayverie had brain surgery the next day in an attempt to remove the tumour, for the best chance of survival. I came with Ayverie in an ambulance to McMaster Children’s Hospital with nothing except the work clothes I was wearing. Ayverie and I have celebrated birthdays, Easter, Thanksgiving, Halloween, Christmas and New Years admitted and isolated on the oncology ward.
Over the next years Ayverie would take on the biggest challenge of her young life … to beat cancer! Ayverie had to undergo radiation therapy, chemotherapy, surgeries, cyber-knife radiation, rehabilitation, many tests and hospital visits and stays. Ayverie is now 11 years old and has beat cancer twice.
Ayverie was diagnosed with Medulloblastoma (brain cancer), one day after her 8th birthday on February 7, 2013. Ayverie relapsed Septermber 11, 2015 and is in remission. November 20, 2016 will mark 1 year!!!
Ayverie has always approached cancer with grace, humor and maybe a little yelling and screaming…
You lose your hair…But you can finally feel the breeze…No more thick and annoying curly hair!
You lose your hair…Embrace the fashion opportunity…Accessorize!!!… Find matching scarves, head bands and hats for every outfit…even sleep hats to match pajamas!
You lose your hair…Embrace the fashion opportunity…Wig it!!!… Get a wig of long straight dark hair…Hair that you will never have…so wig the head!
You lose your hair…the bald head fashion opportunities are endless…Glitter tattoo your bald scalp!!
You get a feeding tube … Embrace another fashion opportunity…another opportunity to accessorize!!!!…Make little purses to tuck dangling feeding tubes into!
You throw up…A LOT!!!…enjoy what you eat…eat what you want…because…it’s coming up anyways…enjoy the taste going down!”
READ FULL ARTICLE HERE: http://www.opacc.org/facesofopacc