OAKLAND, Calif. (WNCN) – Lillian Grace Borden was born on September 5, 2019. She was a beautiful, and seemingly healthy, baby girl. To her parents, she was perfect.
But according to a GoFundMe by her mom, the parents noticed something wasn’t quite right with baby Lily. She wasn’t moving her limbs quite right.
An MRI was then ordered and doctors spotted something on her brain stem. By then Lily’s mom says her breathing had become compromised so they sent her to the neonatal intensive care unit and placed her on a breathing tube and gastric feeding tube.
Shari Borden, her mom, says that no one had ever seen an MRI quite like it, so the Nevada couple consulted with UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital in Oakland, California. Arrangements were made, and Lily and her mom were flown to Oakland on a medical transport plane.
“By the time of her next MRI, just days later, the tumor was larger and now ran from her brain stem down her spinal cord to below her shoulders,” Shari Borden said.
The tumor was inoperable and growing aggressively—but they proceeded with a biopsy. The results indicated the tumor was an aggressive stage 3-4 malignant glioma. Doctors said surgery simply wasn’t an option because of its location.
Lily’s family found a tiny ray of hope, however. They learned of a recently approved targeted chemotherapy for tumors of a certain genetic makeup, but they needed to act fast if there was to be any chance of saving Lily.
After a round of general chemo, her parents got the go-ahead to put her on the new, targeted kind of chemotherapy.
And it worked.
Three weeks later, Lily’s tumor was gone.
As of January 25, Lily rang the bell signifying that she was cancer-free!
To donate to the family’s GoFundMe, click here.
