Meet our July Patient of the Month, Lacy. Lacy was only 2 years old when her parents noticed that something was wrong. She couldn’t walk and spent most of the day sleeping. They took her to various doctors to try to find what could be the cause, until finally they were referred to see a neurologist at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital. She was supposed to receive an MRI, but was so weak that the radiologist suggested a CAT scan instead. What they found left Lacy’s parents in shock. Lacy had an 8 cm. tumor in her brain, occupying most of the lower part of her head. Lacy’s parents were told that she would need surgery right away to remove the tumor, and once they were able run a biopsy, they discovered it was malignant. Lacy had brain cancer. The surgery to remove her tumor was just the beginning of her journey to recovery; she also went through six months of chemotherapy and a stem cell transplant. Today, Lacy is cancer free and going to different therapies to continue getting stronger every day.
She is not only our Patient of the Month, we have also named her this year’s MCHF5K Hero, as her story is a true testament to the fighting spirit our patients have.