15 Year Old NF2 Brain Tumor Survivor - Mission For Mya
Donation protected
Hello, my name is Shawna and Mya is my little sister-in law. You may have recently seen Mya on “The View” where she had her Disney’s Make-A-Wish come true! For those of you who haven’t been following her story since she was younger, please have a read below to learn more about Mya and her Mother Tanya’s current situation.
Mya’s mother, Tanya has been unable to work for the past year resulting in unstable housing and financial difficulties. Tanya and Mya are currently living in their RV as Tanya will be unable to work for the foreseeable future due to Mya’s high medical needs and frequent appointments to Montreal, Kingston and now Boston – Mya continues to need constant care and various medical procedures until there is a cure for NF2.
Unfortunately, her last two surgeries couldn’t be performed in Canada which resulted in Mya being away from her home and all things familiar to her, on top of astronomically high medical bills and costs associated with out of country medical appointments for the family (Hotels, Gas, etc.)
Any donations to assist Mya and her family would be greatly appreciated, these donations will help offset the high costs of medical bills and appointments as well as ensure that Mya has the support needed to live and strive to the best of her abilities.
A Little more about Mya & NF2!
Mya isn’t your typical 15-year-old girl, she has been through more than most could imagine and still maintains a bubbly, outgoing and loving personality.
Some of you know Mya’s story and have been following her progress since she was just a toddler. For those of you who don’t know Mya she was diagnosed with Neurofibromatosis Type 2 (NF2) at the age of 2. If you haven’t heard of (NF2), it is a disorder that causes tumors to grow along the nerves throughout your body, due to a defect in the NF2 gene. 1 in 30,000 will be diagnosed in their lifetime. Overtime these tumors severely impact the life of the infected individuals. It can lead to hearing loss, severe balance problems, facial paralysis, blindness, and death if the brain stem is compressed.
Mya has had many uphill battles since her diagnosis and continues to fight every day. Nine years ago, she underwent a major brain surgery to remove a tumor located on her frontal lobe. Mya has had 88 rounds of chemotherapy to restrict the growth of her 30 plus tumors. Most recently, Mya has undergone a 14-hour spinal surgery to remove 3 tumors in Montreal and 2 major brain surgeries in Boston to remove a tumor that caused her to become completely deaf.
Despite all Mya’s treatments and operations Mya is still fighting as hard as her body will let her. Mya recently received an auditory brainstem implant (ABI) due to her complete hearing loss, this has restored her earing minimally after a number of surgeries. Depending on Mya’s medical needs she requires multiple medical appointments weekly as well as chemotherapy every other week.
To learn more and receive updates on Mya you can follow her Facebook page- Mission for Mya, THE FIGHT AGAINST NF2
Be sure to check out her interview on “The View” if you haven’t already!
Organizer and beneficiary
Shawna Reid
Organizer
Cornwall, ON
Tanya Lamarche
Beneficiary