Help Nina in her fight against brain cancer

Megan Dennis is organizing this fundraiser on behalf of Nina Dixon.

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Our eldest daughter Nina has a grade 2 diffuse astrocytoma brain tumour. It began with vertigo, double vision, headaches and nausea in early 2021 and was finally diagnosed in early 2022.

The tumour is still progressing, still considered a grade 2 astrocytoma with IDH mutation.

She is bed bound and only able to move her right arm but no fine motor skills. Numbness and paralysis from the neck down, her vision is severely limited and she can’t close her right eye or hear from her right ear.

There is no cure. The tumour is wrapped around her brain stem.

Nina has the incomprehensible task of deciding what she is willing to risk to only maybe improve her present quality of life and lessen some symptoms. She is presently on a course of Lomustine (chemotherapy) along with Bevacizumab.

When this all started back in 2021. She worked as a tree planter over the summer (one of most physically punishing jobs out there) even with her symptoms. Back in Toronto after the now almost weekly visits to Emergency for intense nausea and dizziness, we learnt there was an abnormality in her scans (probably a glioma).

She took a year off from university and worked in Victoria (and hung out with her stepsister Phoebe) until she couldn’t manage health-wise.

Once back here (Feb 2022) she started radiation, right into chemotherapy for a year. Her face changed considerably from the steroids and she simply wasn’t comfortable sharing her ordeal widely.

After completing chemo in March 2023 and learning that the tumour had shrunk a little she had a good year of no medication and pretty good health. She squeezed every drop out of that year.

Nina was accepted into a study abroad program and studied at the University of Coventry in the UK Sept-Dec and then University of Oslo January - May. She travelled every moment she could: a concert in Prague, Edinburgh with Uni buddies, clubbing in Manchester, travels solo to Vienna, Dubrovnik, Zagreb, Montenegro, Greece and extensively around Norway. She subjects her other stepsister, Sophie, to an ice plunge in the Oslo harbour when she visited Nina for her 23rd birthday. Her younger sister Tia went out to see her in May and after some travel in Norway they travel to family in Denmark and the run of moderate to good health comes to an end and she returned to Toronto a month earlier than planned.

In July 2024 , Nina underwent brain surgery to have a risky biopsy in hopes that the sample could identify any mutations which might lead to different treatment options. It didn't and she started the same course of chemotherapy for 6 months

Despite loss of mobility Nina decided to accept her offer to get her MBA in education. She starts teachers college, attends lectures and even completes her first placement with a class of grade 3’s. Meanwhile she keeps up with the heavy workload from Teacher's college while teaching at a school with shockingly bad accessibility (broken automatic doors and an elevator being used as a storage locker) with her rollator/walker covered in stickers from her sweet students. Her resilience is incredible.

Just before Christmas 2024 we got the results that indeed the tumour was growing aggressively. In lieu of a miracle, she was told she has a life expectancy of 8 months to a year depending on if the tumour can be stabilized.

It's all unbearable, unfair and often soul-crushing but we are coping. Our family of 6 makes me so proud. We talk about the tough stuff, we cry regularly and thankfully still laugh regularly.

Nina has a counsellor she likes, we are meeting with a death doula as a family. Never has the saying “One day at a time” been more true. Nor ‘You are only as happy as your unhappiest child”.

It goes without saying that Nina has exhibited astonishing strength and resilience throughout. Her little sister Tia adjusted her university schedule to allow her to be home for most of the week which was a huge source of comfort and help for us all. James, now on short term disability, continues to be the incredible father (Didi) that has supported and raised these two exceptional young women since their mother, Anne, died in 2009.

Sophie is back for her second length stay from London UK until the end of May and Phoebe has come back out from Victoria to help. Tia is now home full-time after wrapping up her studies in Guelph. Their help is immeasurable.

Nina has been INCREDIBLY moved by the generosity shown thus far..

Plans got underway early in the year for a trip to see the Rockies with Tia and their wonderful New Zealand nanny Sara from when they were wee.

This trip keeps changing as Nina's condition worsens. Now the three hope to use her funds to fly and rent an accessible vehicle once in Calgary. James will probably also go as the round-the-clock care would be too much for Tia and Sara alone. We need to apply for a Fitness for Air Travel pass.

This disease is relentless and plans are constantly changing. We are at the mercy of the success of the latest treatment plan (started Feb 21) showing some reversal of symptoms to make us more comfortable with Nina travelling. Today (April 24) it seems less and less likely.

Friends suggested we create this fund for potential treatments not covered by OHIP (Ontario Health Insurance Plan).

Second opinions from Dana–Farber Cancer Institute (a research centre in Boston) have been set up after much back and forth. the video meeting will occur next week.

Funds will also keep Nina at home in the greatest comfort possible. A stairlift was installed on the day that Nina was no longer able to navigate the stairs to and from her room. We have ramps, railings, grab bars, hospital bed, multiple walkers and now wheelchairs and the chair she used to spend her days in that massages, heats, reclines, lifts etc. A bathroom refit was scheduled months ago but unfortunately has been delayed by the company multiple times.

Each transfer: bed to wheelchair, wheelchair to stairlift, stairlift to wheelchair, wheelchair to carseat takes a great toll on Nina. The slightest wrong move of her head causes intense pain. Funds raised here mean we can take accessible taxis or accessible rental vans to doctor appointments and eliminate some of these transfers.

Thank you in advance for your generosity and thank you,

thank you, thank you for those of you that already donated to the original fund.