Adita: Facing the “Silent Ghost”

Adita is a smart, caring, healthy, and sweet child who loves school and has a very loving relationship with her little brother, Mario. Her life forever changed in November 2017 when she started her pediatric brain tumor journey.

A few weeks before her diagnosis, she started to vomit a lot for no clear reason, but she would recover fast in minutes. In her dance classes she started struggling with her coordination and direction. Clearly something was wrong, but her family didn’t know what.

Her mother Ada took her to the pediatrician, who said to immediately rush to the hospital. Adita and Ada were transported via ambulance and an hour later she was having an MRI. After another hour passed, doctors shared that Adita had a tumor behind her brain near her cerebellum, and her possibility of having medulloblastoma was very high.

The next day she had a shunt placement, a week later a resection, and then continued through a year of procedures, testing, labs, treatments, and hospital admissions.

“She returned to school, but as a totally different child,” shared Ada. “She’s struggling to accept her new life, but she’s a tender and incredibly mature girl. We are still fighting this unpredictable and silent ghost.”

Adita has always dreamt of being a dancer and policewoman. She has started to accept that because of her posterior fossa syndrome, her balance may be an issue, but she is an idealist and wants to protect people and fight for injustices. She admires the character of Felicie from the movie LEAP because she was an orphan and fought against everything to become a ballet dancer and one day dance in Paris. Just like Felicie, Adita hopes to one day reach her dreams of being a dancer despite her diagnosis.

Adita and her family heard about the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation through research about family support resources and are thrilled to have a community that understands the intricacies of a brain tumor diagnosis. Our survivorship research guidebook and virtual family support groups have also helped their entire family continue to navigate their journey.

If your child has been diagnosed with a brain tumor, the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation is here for your family every step of the way. Visit curethekids.org/family-resources to explore the family support we offer or connect with our team directly by filling out our Family Connection Form.