Walker Family Fund: Ellie’s Cancer Journey

We are asking your help in supporting the Walker family in their time of need. If you are not comfortable donating on their my fund me page you are more than welcome to do any kind of gift cards. Myself (Stacey Schroeder), Jackie Burken or Michelle Perryman would be happy to collect these gift cards and get them to the Walker family.

Here is Ellie’s story!

In June, after experiencing headaches for a month, Ellie was diagnosed with a mass in her brain following a CT scan. She was sent to the University of Iowa for further observation, where doctors discovered that she had severe fluid buildup, causing hydrocephalus due to the location of the tumor. Ellie underwent emergency surgery to install a temporary drain to relieve the fluid accumulation. Once the drain was in place, the medical team planned a procedure to resect the tumor responsible for the fluid buildup.

About a week after the temporary drain was placed, Ellie underwent a 12-hour surgery to remove the tumor. During this procedure, it was determined that she had a Pineoblastoma, a rare Grade 4, fast-growing tumor that forms on the pineal gland in the center of the brain and can spread quickly through spinal fluid. Unfortunately, it was also discovered that the cancer had spread through the spinal fluid, resulting in two tumors on her lower spine. Before leaving the University of Iowa, Ellie was unable to process spinal fluid normally and underwent another surgery to have a VP shunt installed to help reduce further fluid buildup.

Overall, Ellie spent 18 days recovering in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) and the oncology floors while developing a plan for her future cancer treatment.

She has now begun the long road of treatment, starting with proton radiation and chemotherapy at Mayo Hospital in Rochester, which will last for six weeks, from Monday to Friday. After completing radiation, she will continue with chemotherapy at the University of Iowa for nine months.