Tiny Light Lilee-Jean is in the fight for her life, but she has an army of supporters standing strong right beside her. Not even two years old, this sweet girl has inspired an entire community.
Lilee-Jean was ten months old when her parents, Chelsey and Andrew, took her to the doctor for a sore neck. The very next day, an ultrasound showed a mass and cyst in their baby girl’s brain. She was rushed to BC Children’s Hospital for emergency brain surgery. A week later, the devastating news – cancer. Lilee-Jean was diagnosed with glioblastoma multiforme, an aggressive malignant brain tumour. “That day we had to make a decision; whether we try treatment and fight, or sedate her and try to enjoy the limited time we had left with her. We knew we had to fight.”
Since then, LJ, as she is affectionately known, has undergone two surgeries and five rounds of chemotherapy, with more to come. So far, this brave toddler has defied the odds. In the best case scenario, doctors hoped the tumour would not grow. LJ’s tumour has actually shrunk and some parts have died and disappeared.
The road has not been easy for this Tiny Light and her family. Through it all, she continues to brighten rooms with her smile and laughter. LJ is full of love in her heart, and she is a source of daily inspiration. “Where there is treatment, there is hope. Always hold on to that. Children are fighters. Show them love and strength, and they will amaze you.”
Written by Elaine Yong
Lilee-Jean was ten months old when her parents, Chelsey and Andrew, took her to the doctor for a sore neck. The very next day, an ultrasound showed a mass and cyst in their baby girl’s brain. She was rushed to BC Children’s Hospital for emergency brain surgery. A week later, the devastating news – cancer. Lilee-Jean was diagnosed with glioblastoma multiforme, an aggressive malignant brain tumour. “That day we had to make a decision; whether we try treatment and fight, or sedate her and try to enjoy the limited time we had left with her. We knew we had to fight.”
Since then, LJ, as she is affectionately known, has undergone two surgeries and five rounds of chemotherapy, with more to come. So far, this brave toddler has defied the odds. In the best case scenario, doctors hoped the tumour would not grow. LJ’s tumour has actually shrunk and some parts have died and disappeared.
The road has not been easy for this Tiny Light and her family. Through it all, she continues to brighten rooms with her smile and laughter. LJ is full of love in her heart, and she is a source of daily inspiration. “Where there is treatment, there is hope. Always hold on to that. Children are fighters. Show them love and strength, and they will amaze you.”
Written by Elaine Yong
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