Happy birthday Starla Szarek!
The little girl from Kelowna turns four today (Sunday, Feb. 12) and is celebrating from her room at B.C. ChildrenB次元官网网址檚 Hospital.
StarlaB次元官网网址檚 mother Madison says her daughter starts chemotherapy this week after a recent cancer diagnosis.
B次元官网网址淓verything started many months ago with clumsiness being my daughterB次元官网网址檚 first symptom to be followed by her throwing up every morning and occasionally complaining about feeling sick and dizzy, eventually losing the ability to walk and move around without constantly falling down and bumping into things.B次元官网网址�
At first it seemed like she was just a toddler lacking coordination, but in the following weeks StarlaB次元官网网址檚 condition continued to worsen.
B次元官网网址淚 made an appointment with my family doctor and spoke to her on January 23. She sent us to emergency at Kelowna General Hospital where my daughter was almost diagnosed with migraines.B次元官网网址�
After a CT scan it was found the little girl had a large mass on the back of her brain and the single mother and her daughter were flown for emergency surgery at B.C. ChildrenB次元官网网址檚 Hospital.
B次元官网网址淚 was super shocked to hear the news. My mom and I were so sure the whole hospital visit would just have resulted in us getting some medicine and going home. We had no idea my daughter had something so serious going on inside her body and we feel horrible knowing how long she had been dealing with this without anyone knowing.B次元官网网址�
Starla had surgery on Jan. 26 to remove the majority of the tumor, however, over the next seven to nine months she will require chemotherapy treatments with only a 50 per cent success rate of curing the disease.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 hard accepting our new reality. I feel like IB次元官网网址檓 living someone elseB次元官网网址檚 life. IB次元官网网址檝e always heard about kids with cancer, but I never imagined my daughter would be one of them.B次元官网网址�
Starla had surgery last week to put in a central line for her chemotherapy treatments, a process that will cause nausea, hair loss, constipation, and several other side effects.
The success of treatment is lessened as Starla is unable to go through radiation therapy at the same time.
B次元官网网址淥n the bright side, we were able to get her onto a clinical trial so that should help.B次元官网网址�
StarlaB次元官网网址檚 treatment will all take place in Vancouver, having her single mom and her grandmother by her side.
To help with travel, food, and accommodations through the next several months, Madison launched a page and has raised over $15,000 as of Feb. 12.
B次元官网网址淏efore all this happened I was a stay-at-home mom working on my GED, but since my mom canB次元官网网址檛 work right now weB次元官网网址檙e struggling financially because sheB次元官网网址檚 not getting that incomeB次元官网网址� Right now weB次元官网网址檙e pretty tight.B次元官网网址�
With funds still pouring in, Madison says she couldnB次元官网网址檛 be more thankful. B次元官网网址淚 actually didnB次元官网网址檛 want to start a GoFundMe. I didnB次元官网网址檛 think it would do well, but man was I wrong.B次元官网网址�
Madison asks those who donB次元官网网址檛 have the financial means to support them for prayers and to help spread the fundraiser page.
B次元官网网址淪he deserves to be a kid again more than anything.B次元官网网址�
Madison says the hospital is decorated to celebrate her daughterB次元官网网址檚 fourth birthday and she has lots of presents to open.
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brittany.webster@blackpress.ca
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