From the start, I have wished to be a mother. Even at 5 years old, I dreamed I would be a mother. My mom nicknamed me a “mother hen” because I loved caring for my younger sister, cousins, and even the babies of my mom’s friends. So, when it was finally my time to become a mother, I was so excited that I could not control my excitement.
At the age of 17, I became pregnant. The situation was imperfect, but I did not regret it. I thought my boyfriend loved me so much, but we had only been together for a month when I was pregnant. My pregnancy was a challenging game. I gained over 100 pounds, had constant sickness most of the days, and went into early labor several times. At the time of, 16 weeks, I was in a runaway accident, which caused my daughter to experience a stroke before birth. She becomes hydrocephalus, a condition where the brain’s fluid does not drain properly.
The doctors decided to deliver my baby at 34 weeks due to the condition. The doctor arranged a sonogram, and the technicians looked at my face and clarified something was wrong. No one told me, but soon, my doctor said to me that my baby had a serious issue. I was terrified, filled with questions like whether my baby would survive or be born healthy.
Before I could fully process everything, I went into premature labor and had an emergency C-section. My daughter’s chances of survival were low. Doctors even asked if we wanted to sign a DNR in case she did not make it. I was in the operating room. As I lay on the table, 18 years old and a new mother, I prayed for her survival, begging God for the chance to take care of her. Her birthday was on January 19, 2013, five weeks early;
Alana made it. She was alive. But she was immediately taken away for treatment. I do not remember much about those early days; everything was overwhelming and confusing.
Test results showed that Alyna had a brain tumor and was diagnosed with stage III brain cancer. We were told she would not survive longer. My world has become dark. I cried for days, unsure how to cope with the idea of losing my daughter. Alyna was put on hospice care, and doctors said she would not be able to survive until her first birthday.
But Alyna was a fighter. Six months later, she was taken off hospice care because of her incredible progress. A neurologist in Lubbock noticed her potential and performed brain surgery to help with the hydrocephalus. They also did a biopsy and found that her tumor was an aggressive form of cancer.
Alyna started chemotherapy, which worked well at first, decreasing the tumor. But the cancer spread in her. Once again, she was placed in the hospital. My ex-husband and I decided to take Alyna to Disneyland, wanting her to experience life as a happy child, not a cancer patient. She loved visiting princesses.
Sadly, on the day we were planning for Disneyland, Alyna’s breathing became tough. The nurse said that it was time to say goodbye. We had a choice to move her to a hospital, but we decided to let her pass away peacefully in our arms. The last 3 days were hard to show her love at the end. On the fourth day, when I woke up, Alyna had passed away while dreaming.
Alyna survived for 457 days to 450 days longer than the doctors predicted. She faced incredible challenges from the moment she was born, but every day, she fought and refused to give up. She was strong, and we followed her lead, knowing she would survive.
