Amelia's Story

From all outward appearances, 14 year-old Amelia was just like any other vivacious teenager. A constant smile and a natural sense of humour clearly revealed her positive, easy-going attitude. Between her school studies and her passion for singing, dancing, and musical theatre she was constantly on the move. Amelia was often found on stage doing what she loves best – delighting an audience.

But Amelia’s life wasn’t always so easy. In grade six, she was diagnosed with a brain tumor called germinoma. Although rare, this form of cancer has an 85-90 per cent cure rate. Unfortunately in Amelia’s case, numerous complications made her battle with cancer all the more difficult. The location of Amelia’s tumor, its aggressive growth, and the side effects of chemotherapy caused her to develop a life threatening case of diabetes insipidus. With each chemotherapy treatment, she was admitted to the intensive care unit at Children’s Hospital. Following chemotherapy, Amelia went through 32 rounds of radiation treatments.

It was a tough road for Amelia but still, the staff in the Winnipeg Children’s Hospital intensive care unit loved the way she sang and danced her way through chemotherapy. Prior to her diagnosis, Amelia was to appear in a musical production on stage. Her illness prevented her from appearing, but throughout her battle with germinoma she spent many hours singing with the music therapist. Amelia and her family credit music therapy with dramatically improving her stay in the hospital.

In January 2004, doctors gave Amelia and her family the happy, long-awaited news that her tumor was gone. The lasting effects of the tumor, unfortunately, are ongoing and Amelia will face lifelong medical conditions. Amelia will take pills everyday for the rest of her life and receives regular injections of growth hormones to encourage her body’s natural development.

Though her difficult battle included months of hospital visits and treatments, Amelia never lost her positive attitude. Her easy-going nature and bravery during such a challenging time is inspiring to everyone who is fortunate enough to meet her.