Over the past year, our granddaughter Alaia, began to have some stumbling and falling down issues more often than usual. At first, we thought she was simply a "clumsy child" adjusting to her growing body, but her mom, Lexi, felt something wasn’t right. In August, Alaia had a sudden vomiting episode, which was just assumed to be a 24-hour bug. As the months went on, her walking became more unsteady, and she had a few more morning vomiting spells. Lexi decided this was not normal at all and on December 1st, she took her to the doctor, who noticed issues with her gait and ordered an MRI. On December 19th, immediately following the MRI, her pediatrician arrived at the hospital and revealed to Lexi that Alaia had a kiwi-sized tumor at the base of her brain. It was invading the majority of the cerebellum and 4th ventricle, causing balance issues, vomiting, and hydrocephalus secondary to the tumor. She was admitted that night to the Children’s Hospital of Illinois and underwent brain surgery on December 23rd, 2025. The days that followed were filled with uncertainty and concern as we waited for news and prayed for her recovery.

Alaia’s journey following surgery has been filled with both challenges and victories. Just eight days after her operation, she had the drain in her head removed—a huge step forward. She moved from the ICU to intermediate care, and then to the general pediatrics floor, each transition a sign of progress. While weekends in the hospital felt endless and difficult, the return of doctors and activity brought hope. Alaia struggled at first to regain regular movements, experienced double-vision, and her speech was slow and a bit slurred, but she showed promise of improvement as she giggled with her visitors and tv shows.

Since coming home, Alaia has continued to show her happy, sweet spirit, even as she faced new challenges in daily life. After a week of being home, her mom noticed her incision was puffy and began leaking cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), Alaia was admitted again to the Children’s Hospital, a 50-minute drive from home. She underwent another MRI and a spinal tap to drain fluid, and while a shunt was considered, her surgeon and parents decided that medication to manage the fluid buildup was the best option. The good news is that pathology results showed her tumor was benign—an incredible relief for our family. Still, these setbacks interrupted her therapies and brought more hospital stays and travel. Following her scheduled post-op exam on January 21st, they decided she needed an additional spinal tap to drain another round of CSF build-up. She is currently taking medication to decrease the amount of CSF she produces in attempts to help the internal incision site heal quickly and completely.

Today, she has resumed her regular therapy schedule and is progressing with flying colors. Her therapists are finally getting to know the bubbly and sparkly girl we all know and love. While life at home has seemed to regain a sense of normalcy, the medical bills, therapy costs, and travel expenses not covered by insurance are overwhelming. We are reaching out to our community for help so Alaia’s family can focus on her healing without the added stress of financial strain. Your prayers, encouragement, and support mean the world to us—through the crises and the in-betweens. Thank you for standing with Alaia and her family as she continues her brave journey toward recovery and getting back to just being a child! By the way, she is on track to return to preschool on March 2nd!