Lily Young

In January of 2022 the entire family had COVID, Lily had complained of headaches for weeks after recovering so we contacted her doctor. They suggested an MRI to rule out blood clots in the sinuses. They didn’t find any, but they did find an optic pathway glioma(OPG), behind her left eye. It was benign but that still meant a flurry of neurologists, oncologists, ophthalmologists, and MRIs while we waited and watched the tumor. Lily never developed any symptoms, but the outline of the tumor grew larger with each scan. Just over a year after finding the tumor, the doctors recommended chemotherapy to shrink the tumor that was now approaching her visual cortex and pressing on her pituitary gland.

Two weeks later Lily received her first of 60 infusions through her new port. She’s had about 20 infusions to date, and aside from having to access and de-access her port, Tuesdays at the hospital  were her favorite day of the week. We were continually impressed with the lengths that M Health Fairview Masonic Children’s hospital goes to to make the experience fun for kids. We played trivia every Tuesday, visited the library, playground and end zone. We watched newly released movies, ate corn dogs and created masterpieces all from the comfort of her hospital bed. The staff is incredible and we’re eternally grateful to them for creating so much joy during this extremely challenging time.