Hope for Harper

Harper is a vibrant little girl with the kindest heart and biggest personality. She is always quick to greet anyone see she’s with a “HI!!”.

On May 28th, a Saturday, Harper developed a left head tilt which was assumed to be an ear infection and was treated with antibiotics. On Sunday, she was a little off balance, and then Tuesday morning, she had a small hand tremor. Her mother, Amanda, brought her to Green Bay for a CT of her head and a gut feeling that something was off. It was there that they discovered a pontine mass (a mass on her brain stem) and were then transferred to the Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin in Milwaukee.

Harper received an MRI and biopsy of the mass. There were a few weeks of waiting for results which made sense when the results came back. Harper’s sample had to be sent to St. Jude’s in Memphis, which came back with a diagnosis of ETANTR. This is an extremely rare and aggressive form of pediatric brain cancer.

Harper was given a poor prognosis, but as Amanda’s mother believes, God has our days numbered, not medicine. Harper was immediately started on aggressive chemotherapy as this was the only treatment option due to the location of the tumor.

To date, Harper has finished three rounds of chemotherapy and had a follow-up MRI on August 22nd to determine the effectiveness of the treatment. The MRI determined treatment was considered effective and that Harper was eligible for a stem cell transplant. Unfortunately, on the final scans to prepare for the transplant to begin the following week, it was determined that she had blood clots in the lungs and she had air in the lining of the stomach wall. The transplant is presently on hold until this medical condition is resolved.

Amanda, her mother, has been off work since diagnosis to care for Harper, which has included many bills; medical, travel, food, and basic necessities, as they have been in Milwaukee for the majority of the time since diagnosis with a few short breaks at home.

If you have continued to read this post, thank you, and if you are willing and able to make a donation to this family, it would be greatly appreciated. If you are unable to give, we just ask for prayers above all else, prayers for healing if God allows it and strength for whatever will come next.