Brain Tumor Program Patient Stories

When Mary McKernan was 3 years old, she was diagnosed with medulloblastoma, a rare brain cancer. She was treated with surgery and proton therapy at CHOP.

After a CT scan revealed a medulloblastoma in Jacqueline’s brain, she underwent surgery, radiation and chemotherapy at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

In December 2006, Shanna was diagnosed with a brain tumor. She tells how the experience profoundly impacted her life, and what she’s learned from her fight.

Sultan traveled from the Middle East after his parents learned about Dr. Jay Storm’s expertise in pediatric brain tumors.

Mark was diagnosed with a pediatric brain tumor when he was three years old and began treatment at CHOP. Now an eighth grader, he tells the story of his fight with cancer.

Trish Cartafalsa noticed that her 2-year-old, Ryan, was having problems with balance. Days later, he was having a pediatric brain tumor removed at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

Diagnosed with germinoma, a type of pediatric brain tumor, Mikayla benefited from proton therapy, an advanced form of radiation treatment offered at CHOP.

Diagnosed with a brain tumor, 11-year-old Stephany and her family traveled from Brazil to Philadelphia for proton therapy treatment.

International patient Laila LeClerc came to CHOP from her home in Canada for proton therapy to treat extrarenal rhabdoid tumor, a rare and aggressive cancer.