Patient Updates
Morgan lives for competition. Like her sisters, Morgan spent much of her life in the gym, dreaming of one day becoming an Olympic gymnast. With more than 10 national titles under her belt, it looked like Morgan's dream was on its way to coming true. But frequent headaches and dizziness would soon sideline Morgan -- and the worst was yet to come.
After weeks of symptoms and multiple visits to her local doctor, Morgan underwent a CT scan of her brain. The tests revealed medulloblastoma, the most common brain tumor in children. After surgery to remove the tumor, doctors told the family there was little hope. Morgan's parents would not give up.
As Morgan recovered from her operation at her local hospital, her mother found herself awake, flipping the channels through late-night television. It was then that she saw a commercial for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, featuring Robin Williams and a young boy with the exact same diagnosis as Morgan.
Morgan's mother saw this message as a sign. "God wants us to be at St. Jude," she said. "I had never seen that commercial before, but I just knew that was where we were supposed to be." Morgan's local doctor agreed and made the phone call to refer her to St. Jude.
At St. Jude, Morgan began six weeks of radiation, followed by a high-dose chemotherapy regimen. An infusion of her own bone marrow followed each treatment to help her body fight infection and recover from the debilitating effects of the chemotherapy.
Intense physical therapy followed, helping Morgan regain her strength and balance -- as well as the smile she lost after her surgery. Morgan was determined to get back to the gym.
Today, Morgan is back at home, back at school, and yes -- back at the gym. There is no sign of the tumor that almost took her life. But St. Jude doctors will continue to monitor Morgan to make sure the cancer does not return.
Between those trips back to St. Jude, Morgan continues to work hard at school and in the gym. Morgan's dream of Olympic glory may be out of reach, but that's not so important to her anymore.
"Before, Morgan was very serious about competing and winning," said her mother. "Now, she just wants to get back to gymnastics and being with her friends. That's what really matters now."
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