7th Grader Shares Her Experience With Cancer

8/18/2020

At this week’s Middle School Walk the Walk assembly, 7^th grader, Mikayla Hylton shared her experience of being diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2017 with the entire student body, faculty, and special guests. Approximately 250-300 children per year receive this diagnosis and Mikayla’s first step in the treatment process was to endure 8 hours of surgery to remove the tumor. After the surgery, she experienced Posterior Fossa Syndrome (PFS) which affected her speech and motor functions. After the surgery, she applied and was admitted to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee where she continued the process of ridding her body of cancer by undergoing 6 weeks of brain and spine proton radiation.

Her family was there with her every step of the way as she fought through hair loss and nausea. She eventually dropped to nearly half her original body weight and was unable to eat. Fast forward to 2019, and Mikayla has completely recovered from her original diagnosis and has narrowed her doctor visits from every three months to every six. In her words, “I won, I beat cancer.” She reminded those in attendance that day everyone has their own story and to seek to understand it before making judgements.

Thank you, Mikayla for your bravery and strength in sharing this personal journey with the Country Day community, you are an inspiration to all of us and a natural leader by example.

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