Kiah’s road to recovery after brain surgery

Hi, my name is Josie Adams & I’m starting this GoFundMe on behalf of my best friend, Kiah Walker.

In 2019 after a car accident Kiah received head scans due to a concussion. In the scans there was an incidental finding of a small cyst on her pineal gland. At the time, it was very small (less than 1/2 cm) and not causing any issues. The plan then became to monitor it via regular scans and watch for symptoms. Until the latest scan there were no changes in her scans and no symptoms present. During her most recent scan (around Halloween 2024) it was found that the mass is now 13.9mm by 11.1mm. Those numbers pass the size where they begin considering removal.

In the last month or so Kiah has started having severe symptoms. Symptoms such as constant intense headache, poor depth perception, extreme exhaustion, numbness, lots of nausea, etc. Her neurologist reviewed her newest set of scans, went over symptoms with her & determined it was time to see a neurosurgeon. The consultation with Neurosurgery was on 1/31/25. Doctors have determined that it’s time for this mass to be removed. It is very close to her brain stem & skull base, as well as many other sensitive areas.

Because of this, Kiah will have to go to either the Mayo or U of M neurosurgery, depending on which can see her first. Ideally something like this would be done endoscopically, but it essentially right in the middle of everything, so their approach is yet to be determined.

On top of this news, she has been told to expect at least three months of recovery, this of course depends on many factors. She will be out of work for a minimum of 3 months, if not longer if complications arise. As you can imagine, she is not only worried & anxious about surgery, but her expenses after. The last thing she or her family need to worry about is paying bills, rent, traveling expenses to the Twin Cities, medical bills, or even unexpected expenses. Kiah won’t be able to be discharged from the hospital until they deem her physically stable enough. Even after, she will need constant help & care as she will be limited mobility.

Kiah won’t say it, but she has always been the first to help someone in need, to give whatever is needed, no questions asked. Now it’s my turn to try & help her.

If you can’t donate, even just sharing will help.

Any & all donations will go directly to Kiah for her traveling expenses, medical bills, rent, utilities, food, etc while In recovery.

Thank you for any support, kind words, &/or shares.