When Leann Borden and her husband welcomed baby Lillian into the world last September they were over the moon. Imagine their terror when after medical staff noticed that she wasn’t moving her arms and legs properly, they learned that she had brain cancer.
Little Lillian has spent the first months of her life battling this cruel disease, but the tiny survivor has just received the all-clear and has gone home with Mommy and Daddy.
The stage three to four malignant glioma on Lily’s brainstem was usually an inoperable type of tumor. As battles with the insurance company ensued, her parents anxiously waited. They eventually gained approval for genetic testing and targeted chemotherapy.
The approved chemotherapy was a new treatment designed to target Lily’s form of cancer. As her family fought hard, scans eventually revealed fantastic results. During the third week following treatment, Lily’s MRI revealed that the cancer had disappeared without a trace.
Baby Lillian drew a crowd of caregivers as she rang the end-of-treatment bell after 5 months of #chemo for a tumor on her brain stem. Lillian is doing great, after surgery and #PrecisionMedicine that targeted her tumor! "We can finally exhale," her mom, Leann, says. 🎉 pic.twitter.com/zAp4xc8o9w
— UCSFChildrensOakland (@UCSFBenioffOAK) January 29, 2020
When she was two months old, Lily finally went home with her parents. Although she showed no signs of cancer, doctors continued her treatment for three more weeks. She grew strong and her cancer-free status was confirmed, as reported here at ABC action news.
