The Kings Mountain Herald
September 20, 2007
HLOCAL NEWS
Brain tumor won’t stop 7-year-old Super Girl
a EMILY WEAVER
eweaver@kingsmountainherald.com
Winter Gilland was diagnosed
with cancer in February 2003.
One month after her third birth-
day, doctors found a cancerous
tumor inside of her brain.
Her mother, Michelle Gilland,
said that the tumor was initially
the approximate size of a golf
ball located in the “dead center
of her brain.” The doctors told
her that it was in the worst loca-
tion a brain tumor could be.
She was also diagnosed with
hydrocephalus (water on the
brain), as the tumor and the cysts
that continued to form on its sur-
face, blocked the fluids drainage.
At the age of three, she began a
chemotherapy treatment called
carboplatin, which would last
two and a half years. Doctors
hoped it would prepare her little
body for the radiation she really
needed to fight the tumor. At five
years old, they started six gruel-
ing weeks of radiation treatment.
It was the highest and most
intense amount of radiation the
human body can withstand. It
/ was their main strategy at beat-
ing the cancer.
Michelle said they waited nine
months after radiation, checking
the progression every few
months, before Winter began 10
more months of chemotherapy
treatments. This therapy was a
cocktail of four chemo drugs:
thioguaine, procarbazine,
CCNU, and vincristine. At the
end of April 2007, a scan showed
that the tumor (astrocytoma) was
still there and was now bigger
than ever. What started out as
the size of a golf ball, was now
approximately the size of a
lemon.
“They told me I was going to
lose her,” she said, adding that
the doctors told her she had a
choice: they could either do the
surgery and hope for the best or
not do the surgery. “They told
me ‘Anything we do at this point
is going to be palliative. This will
most likely take her life.”
After the surgery, Winter
would most likely be totally
blind, she could lose some of her
motor functions, and of course,
there was the risk of brain bleeds
on the operating table. But with-
out it, she faced much worse. “I
chose the lesser of two evils,”
Michelle said. She told the doc-
tors to go ahead with the surgery,
having faith her daughter would
fight it and faith that God's will
would be done.
Brave Winter was wheeled into
surgery with a smile on her face
on June 11, 2007. Her mother said
she wasn't really scared because
she knew that she would be put
to sleep. This was an important
surgery, but it was also the tenth
one she has had in her young life,
including the seven times she
went under the knife to have
shunts put in her brain to drain
the swelling from the hydro-
cephalus.
The doctors thought the sur-
gery a success. The next day,
Winter suffered a grand mal
seizure because her sodium lev-
els dropped too low - a side
effect of the surgery. After seiz-
ing nearly 20 minutes, the med-
ical staff was able to get it under
control.
Weeks later, Winter seemed to
be recovering nicely. She is now
legally blind, but can still see
enough to read and write. She
can walk and talk. Doctors are
weaning her off of the seizure
medications. Her mother said
she is seven, with the maturity of
a 25-year-old. Winter refers to
herself as “Super Girl,” deter-
mined to beat the tumor up.
Her body and brain is swollen
from the fluids that refuse to
drain, caused by the hydro-
cephalus. The slightest touch
sends her into agony. On
Monday, she will undergo her
11th surgery at 4:45 p.m. “The
doctor said that he wants to
change the shunt valve to a pro-
grammable shunt and move the
tubbing out of her heart and back
into her belly,” Michelle said, to
help drain the fluids. “He also
said that he wants to drill two
burr holes into her skull and put
siphons in (that will) hopefully
drain that extra fluid off her
brain more quickly.”
An MRI scan a couple of weeks
ago showed the doctor’s and
Michelle's greatest fear - there is
still some residual tumor left in
the brain. Radiologists don’t
want Winter to have any more
radiation because they say she’s
had all that she can stand. The
Gillands have to wait.
“She is such a brave little girl,”
said Shirley Garrett, a former
cousin and present friend of the
family. “She'll tell you all about
her cancer, her tumor, her shunts.
She’s real smart.”
“When a doctor forgets to do
part of an exam she reminds
him,” Michelle said. “It’s pretty
funny. She's got seven doctors so
she tries to keep them straight.”
Michelle is a single mom of
Winter and her twin, Sara. The
medical bills and expenses keep
piling up. Michelle had to leave
her job, to take care of Winter
full-time. The Gillands lost their
home and are now renting in
Bessemer City.
Garrett, of Grover, organized a
benefit for the Gilland family to
be held this Saturday, September
22, at Grover Rescue on Main
Street, next to the fire depart-
ment. The benefit will last from 8
am.-8 p.m. and will feature
Gospel singing, hot dogs (2-8
p.m.), raffle drawings for gift cer-
tificates and other hot items, a
cake walk and a yard sale.
“We're just trying to do all we
can do,” Garrett said.
Other upcoming benefits for
Winter are listed on her website
at caringbridge.org/nc/win-
tergilland. If you cannot attend a
benefit but would still like to
donate, mail checks to: First
National Bank, c/o The Winter
Gilland Fund, PO Box 549,
Bessemer City, NC 28016.
Laurie Mancuso
Licensed Aesthetician
116 S. Railroad Ave.
Bellus Gu Spa
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Kings Mt., NC 28086 704-734-1133 * 704-734-1135
Kevin Jones
Massage Therapist,
LMBT NC Lic #3815
Winter Gilland, 7, is fighting cancer. A benefit fund raiser for
Winter will be held Saturday, September 22 at the Grover Rescue
Squad building on Main Street.
“Dr. Hannon, Thank you for turning
my ugly smile into a beautiful one.
Also, thanks for putting up with
me and doing all you did for me!”
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