The Nihei's: Our Story

On April 1, 2008, our 4-year-old daughter, Lauren, was diagnosed with a brain tumor. After her biopsy on April 8th it was determined that she had a bithalamic anaplastic astrocytoma with extension into her brain stem.

In the beginning of March we noticed a personality change in Lauren who normally is a very outgoing and happy-go-lucky kid. She became very clingy and shy. She didn't want to talk on the phone anymore, or play on the slide with the other kids at pre-school. By mid-March, Lauren started complaining about headaches. Her pediatrician thought it might be a sinus infection or that she may need glasses. He put her on antibiotics and we made an eye appointment.

A few days later when she started holding her head funny and her headaches returned we insisted on a CT scan. That's when her pediatrician sent us to the ER at Children's Hospital of Orange County (CHOC) for a CT scan, and when our world was turned upside down and our nightmare began...

Story continues at bottom of page

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Lots going on right now. Lauren fell last night while trying to run down the hall at the Ronald McDonald's House. Her being a kid wanted to run, so we let her. Except when she did her leg buckled and she did a face plant and her momentum carried her legs and body over her head. We're very lucky she didn't snap her neck. She had a scrape and bump on her forehead and she can't put any weight on her left leg. This morning when she was getting off the toilet, her leg must have buckled again and she fell. All we heard was a scream and then crying, when we turned around she was on the ground. To add to this, she has a temperature of
100.5, if it gets to 101.5 or stays above 100.5 for more than 4 hours we need to bring her to the ER. Also, Marissa is still sick so is banned from the RMH and staying with granny and grandpa. Since I needed to go to work, Hil is by herself, which will be bad if she goes into labor. To top it off, Hil being Hil, left her wallet in granny's purse and forgot her cell phone charger. The RMH phone is only good for an 8-mile radius, which does little good when 100% of the people staying there is from out of town, or why else would they need to stay there? So we're a little stressed right now.

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