Over the course of four weeks, members of the community will be sharing their story. These stories are about individuals and their experience with cancer. They are the reason the Lowell community comes together for the Pink Arrow Football Game. Each story is written by the person you will read about or by someone on their behalf. We thank them for sharing their story and courage.
Photo courtesy of Heather Eveland and is used with permission. Heather donates her time to get to know those she is photographing and capture an image to be used with each story. You can visit her photography website and Facebook page for more information about her work.
Heather is also the volunteer coordinator for Pink Arrow events. If you are interested in helping out at Community Day (Thursday, Aug. 16) or game day (Thursday, Aug. 30) please contact her by calling 616-291-8907 or send an email to [email protected]. Heather will let you or your group know what help is needed to determine the best fit.
The following story is about Harper Gallagher told by her mom, Stephanie.
My name is Stephanie Gallagher. I am married to Chris Gallagher and we are the proud parents to the most incredible 3 year old daughter, Harper. Chris and I were born and raised in Lowell and attended elementary, middle school and high school in the Lowell Public Schools. Although we live outside of Lowell now, most of our family is still rooted in the Lowell community. We are very proud to be tied to the Lowell Community and extremely grateful for the Pink Arrow Pride.
Our personal journey with cancer begins in August of 2017. Our daughter started to become frequently ill beginning with cold like symptoms and then progressing into persistent vomiting. These symptoms were slightly concerning, but as most people with children know, they get sick. As the weeks went by, Harper’s health and physical well-being began to decline even more. Her bouts of being sick became more frequent and severe. In addition, we began to notice other physical declines such as her strength, coordination, vision, and her ability to walk. Each of these symptoms came on very slowly and with time became more obvious that something serious might be wrong with our little girl.
As the summer came to an end and turned into fall, we had Harper in and out of the pediatrician for her illnesses more times than we can count. It seemed the most logical diagnosis was a viral infection. Harper has an incredible pediatrician, so we trusted his word and gave Harper as much love, affection, and care as we could as she was home ill.
Harper’s symptoms began to worsen, so Chris and I began to doubt and question what might really be going on. We felt it must be something more than just a viral infection. With much hesitation and apprehension, I began to research another option. As I began to read the list of “You should contact your doctor if you present the following symptoms”, my heart began to race and I became sick to my stomach. Harper literally marked every box. I immediately set another appointment with her pediatrician. I was terrified to share the answer my research had led me to. Would her pediatrician think that I am just an over concerned and overeating mother? Did I even want to say what my biggest fear might be? Thankfully, God has blessed us with a compassionate, intelligent, and open-minded pediatrician for our daughter. He patiently listened to every word I said, through my tears as I shared my fears. He then explained the next step would be to schedule Harper for an MRI. My husband and I agreed that we would do whatever needed to be done to find the reason for Harper’s health decline.
We scheduled Harper for her MRI, but unfortunately it would take 2 weeks to get her for an appointment. Once we were home with Harper, she began to rapidly decline. She developed immensely painful headaches and was unable to eat or drink liquids without becoming sick. We knew we couldn’t wait 2 weeks for her scheduled MRI, so we decided to bring her into the emergency room at Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital. We met with nurses, residents, and a physician before they agreed to give her an emergency CT scan. We waited 20 minutes before the physician returned to share the most devastating news a parent can hear. He explained that Harper had a very large mass on her brain with severe hydrocephalus (a build-up of fluid in the cavities deep within the brain). We were admitted and Harper immediately began medication to decrease the pressure on her brain.
On November 13, 2017, Harper was diagnosed with a brain tumor (juvenile pilocytic astrocytoma). After receiving the news that our daughter had brain cancer we learned she would be scheduled for a craniotomy that same week. During our week stay at the hospital, our job was to keep Harper comfortable, become as informed and educated as possible, and cover her with prayer. Many people ask how we survived that week in waiting for Harper’s surgery. Our answer is simple; our Savior, Jesus Christ. Psalm 62:1-2 states, “I am at rest in God alone; My salvation comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold; I will never be shaken”. Although our world may have felt as if it had experienced an earthquake, our faith never faltered. We faithfully declare Gods glory, love, and miraculous grace. His presence is welcomed and we felt him move, and still do.
Harper’s surgery took place on November 17, and began at 7:30 a.m. The surgical teamed worked tirelessly for 12.5 hours. By the grace of God, the neurosurgeon was able to remove the vast majority of the tumor. A small section of the tumor remains on Harper’s brain stem because it was too risky to remove. Attempting to remove the entire tumor could potentially cause many disabilities to Harper’s physical motor skills. Because some of the tumor remains, Harper receives MRI’s every 3 months and meets with an oncologist in the case of growth in the future.
Thankfully, Harper recovered from surgery very well. After our stay at Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital, Harper received both inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation at Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital for several months. When we were admitted to Mary Free Bed, Harper could not lift her head independently. During our time with Mary Free Bed, Harper gained enough strength to eventually sit, stand, walk, and even run independently again. Due to the placement of the tumor, Harper still has some physical weakness on her left side, but by the grace of God and through the hands of many wonderful therapist, she is an energetic and active 3 year old.
Through Harper’s journey, we have learned so much about importance of loving people, community, and faith. We are so incredibly grateful for our family, friends, and the Lowell Community. We thank the Lowell Pink Arrow Pride and the Lowell Community for the support you give to our family and family’s like ours.
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