Please Help Addelin Walk Again

This is for my dear friend Christy and her sweet daughter, Addelin.....Please help Addelin have brain tumor removed so she can walk again and have her life back.

Addelin’s story starts at the young Age of 5. She was barely old enough to understand what a headache was but she could point to where it hurt...and it was always in the back of her head right in the middle. Her head hurt every day and it made her feel sick and nauseated, and it also scared her. Finally, her pediatrician ordered a MRI of her brain. It showed a rather large cyst in the Pineal region of her brain.

I'll never forget the day Dr. Darin Sharps’ office (a Neurologist) called me and said “We have an appointment scheduled for you and Addelin in 2 weeks.” Immediately, my mind starts racing. Ok why? What is wrong? Anytime they are unwilling to discuss things over the phone...you better get ready because it's Not Good News!

As I sat there in Dr.Sharps’ office I was speechless. I really didn't hear what he was saying until my mom, Addelin’s Nanny, asked, "Are you saying this could be cancerous?" to which the doctor replied “Yes, but we have to monitor it.”

At that point, our lives totally changed. The response to questions about surgery and removal of the cyst were “No, we just have to monitor it. It's too deep in the brain for us to biopsy, so we will just monitor it.” We had to wait and see what the MRI showed every 3 months. And, let me tell you the waiting and not knowing if it was growing was beyond agonizing. During this time, the cyst grew a little, but then it decreased in size. Finally, after 12 months they said we would continue to monitor with an MRI every year.

Over the course of the next 8 years, MRIs showed that the cyst was small and non-growing. They told us we could stop worrying about this cyst and that it would never cause her any problems. However, we would still continue to just monitor it every year with a MRI! And I thought….Really? You say it won’t cause her any problems, but then turn around and say we will still monitor annually? Why is that exactly?
We went along with what we were told and continued to monitor the cyst. Addelin still had severe headaches that made her feel horrible and hurt to the point that they made her vomit.


Fast forward to 2016, Addelin is now 13 years old and this is where her story takes a turn for the worse. She started with severe headaches that led to vomiting every day for 2 weeks and several ER visits. Then one fateful morning she woke up and called out for me. “Mom I can't feel the left side of my body... I can't feel my face, my arm, my leg… it's all numb. Mom please help me!”

And, then it began. Doctor visit after doctor visit. Appointment after appointment. Physical therapy. This 13 year old girl was no longer worried about who is going to bully me or be mean next. She was now in a wheelchair. Addie had lost her ability to walk; cheer; play softball, and even attend school. She traded her school-life in for home schooling without the ability to participate in extra-curricular activities that she so loved. Her life came crashing down around her. Addelin was lost and terrified! And, of course, we all were too.

Even though my heart was breaking for Addelin, I did what any other parent would do! I promised her that I would figure this out. I proclaimed that she would walk again and that she would be okay. After scouring the world to figure out what was wrong with Addie, I found Dr. Hrayr Shahinian in Los Angeles, California at the The Skull Base Institute! After he reviewed Addelin’s files and MRIs, Dr. Shahinian informed us this was no longer a cyst. It was not a fluid filled sac. In his own words he corrected me and said, “Do not call this a cyst any longer. It is a TUMOR... It is a solid mass and it has to be removed and sent off to pathology.”

On September 13, 2016 Addelin will have this tumor removed which in return will release the pressure on her brain and allow her full use of the left side of her body.

In the past, I have organized several "Saddle Up for St. Jude" events to support St.Jude's Children's Research Hospital. I loved every aspect of those events and had some of the best times with friends and family imaginable. I never in my wildest dreams thought that my Addelin, my sweet baby girl would be needing a life-saving surgery such as this. And all Addelin wants is to walk again and lead the normal life of a teenager without all of the worries that no child should have to endure.

This is Addelin’s Story and now I am asking for help. We have to raise over $125,000.00 to be able to give Addelin her life back. This is to cover out-of-pocket medical expenses and funds needed for travel expenses and normal expenses that need to be covered during our time away from home and work, Please pray for Addelin and share her story. God bless.