Donation protected
Tiana Beard is a daughter, sister, aunt, friend, cat/dog mom, singer, Christian, and pediatric oncology nurse, just to name a few things. After lengthy discussions, she is quick to say this is one of the most humbling things she has ever had to do. If you know her, you’d know how important it has been to be an independent female, always able to care for herself, determined to never have to rely on others.
On August 19, 2024, after having some minor headaches for a couple of weeks, Tiana was evaluated in the ER where she had testing done, and within hours, it led to a diagnosis of grade 4 Glioblastoma (GBM). For those who don’t know, Glioblastoma is an aggressive brain cancer with no cure. Two days after her diagnosis, she had a craniotomy where the 5+ cm tumor was fully resected. She healed quite well after surgery and was determined to keep fighting to be part of the less than 5% of long-term survivors, as the average prognosis is 9-14 months. Thirty sessions of radiation along with oral chemo were completed over six weeks. Her next steps are to continue the oral chemo and follow up with MRIs every 8 weeks. She kept a positive attitude, determined to get stronger, and her goal was to get back to work within six months of the initial diagnosis and keep living life to its fullest! There have been some minor setbacks along the way, including low platelets which paused her chemo at one point, generalized swelling causing pain, weight gain due to steroids, and adrenal issues, to name a few... but on the afternoon of December 31, 2024, Tiana was found unresponsive after having what is believed to be a seizure at her local grocery store. She was intubated by the EMS team and, by the grace of God, was extubated the next morning in the hospital. She was discharged on January 2, 2025. This setback is one that came unexpectedly and has really hit her hard. She is currently living with and being watched over by her parents. She can still do normal daily activities, but for her safety, she is not left alone for any length of time. She is struggling with vision problems and pressure in her head, but she is doing what she can every day to still try and enjoy life. She goes for weekly blood work and is hoping to be able to continue her oral chemotherapy regime called “5/23” to continue to combat this nasty disease. She will be seeing a neuro-ophthalmologist eventually along with her neuro-oncologist and radiation-oncologist, who she sees every 4-6 weeks.
While her faith is strong, due to the seriousness of the situation, Tiana’s goal of getting back to work is now further out of reach. Tiana is not going to be cleared to drive until/unless the doctors can get to the bottom of and control whatever triggered her episode on NYE, and at minimum, that wouldn’t be for another 6 months as Florida law requires one to be seizure-free that long before legally allowed to drive. She was told not to give up hope just yet, but unfortunately, being out of work for close to six months at this point has already taken a major toll on her financially. What Tiana said, “If it comes down to accepting I won’t be able to work again or possibly even live alone again, I will be making some major decisions, but for the time being, if there is a way to not have to immediately make those decisions where I am forced to sell my home and/or vehicles, I would like to be given the chance so if/when the day comes that I can get back to fully supporting myself I wouldn’t have to start from scratch again. I’d also like to be sure my parents don’t end up stuck if something more serious happens to me before I can get all my things in order as I sadly did not have life insurance.”
With all that said, I am here asking for anyone willing/able to donate to help Tiana be able to stay afloat in hopes she can eventually get back to work and back to supporting herself again. Tiana has always been one quick to help when she can, and now it’s our turn to do the same for her. To give a little detail where any funds raised will go, we say this: disability (once it starts) will cover minimal of her monthly bills, so any donations will go towards things such as health/auto insurance, the thousands owed in medical bills from her surgery and radiation treatments plus all upcoming treatments, HOA dues, monthly bills such as water, electricity, cell phone, pet food, groceries, and household items to name a few necessities.
Your kindness and generosity is greatly appreciated and could literally make the difference in allowing Tiana a little more time to focus on her healing and not stress over finances for another month—every dollar helps!
Tiana is very much an open book. If there are any questions or suggestions for assistance, you can reach out or follow her journey on her public Facebook page found at the link below:
Organizer and beneficiary
Sarah Ferrell
Organizer
Brandon, FL
Tiana Beard
Beneficiary