Ellie Aquino

February 2021

My two year old daughter was diagnosed with a rare aggressive type of brain tumor, Ellie was a normal happy two year old. However, something wasn’t quite right with her mobility, as she started limping and she had stopped running. We went to an Orthopedic surgeon to check for fractures, but the X-ray came out negative. We were then referred to a neurologist to complete a full body MRI. On August 28th, 2020 our life changed forever.

The worst scenario had happened that left us devastated. They found a large tumor on the left side of Ellie’s brain that was affecting her motor skills. Doctors were amazed how large it was and that her only symptom was limping. We were rushed to the Pediatric ICU, at Doernbecher Hospital to have her tumor removed. She underwent a brain surgery for 8 hours.

Ellie is a very smart girl. She loves learning and exploring. She loves insects, sea creatures, and all animals. Halloween is her favorite holiday, but also loves the Christmas season because she loves playing with the snow. Although she is only 2.5 years old, she has been very brave through this process with her treatment.