May is Brain Tumor Awareness Month: Life-Changing Treatment at Texas Children’s Restores Vision to Birdwatching Enthusiast

A fifteen-year-old girl is cancer-free after life-changing treatment at Texas Children’s Hospital. 

It started with a headache that wouldn’t go away. When Lori’s oldest daughter, Megan, was 14 years old, she had a headache that persisted for so long that it seemed to cause problems with her vision.   

“This happened in December 2024,” remembers Lori. “At first, we weren’t too worried, but she complained about vision problems so we knew something was wrong. We took her to multiple doctors.”

For weeks, Megan’s family sought the advice of different doctors in different clinics. They were told to try Excedrin, but it offered only temporary relief. Megan felt tired all the time and almost constantly thirsty. Her headaches got worse, and her peripheral vision seemed to be narrowing.      

“We couldn’t get answers,” Lori said. “Thankfully, one of the doctors referred us to Texas Children’s Hospital. We got her here on January 2, I believe. First, an optometrist checked her vision and confirmed that her condition was neurological. Doctors did a scan, and that’s when they found the tumor.”

The diagnosis   

Dr. Amit Bhatt, an experienced and astute neuro-ophthalmologist, saw Megan in our emergency room on January 2, 2025 and immediately recognized that Megan probably had a brain tumor, and indeed a subsequent MRI on the same day confirmed that there was a brain tumor pushing on her optic nerves, causing her to lose vision in her right eye and near complete closure of the right eyelid. The tumor was also pushing on her pituitary gland and affecting her endocrine system, which was part of the reason why she felt thirsty all the time. 

“It was really scary,” remembers Lori. “But there was also some relief, because we finally had an answer. And the doctors at Texas Children’s were so reassuring. They knew how to treat this.”

Dr. Jack Su, a pediatric neuro-oncologist at Texas Children’s Hospital and Associate Professor at Baylor College of Medicine, is an expert in treating pediatric brain tumors but also conducts clinical research of novel treatments for these children. 

“Megan is so resilient,” said Dr. Su. “It’s always an honor to provide children like Megan with the best therapies to treat their tumors and to shepherd these families through their trying journeys. Continued research to improve our understanding of pediatric brain tumors will eventually enable us to cure these children with only minimal physical and intellectual impairments. It is with this conviction that many of us continue our clinical and research endeavors and remain hopeful that our collective contributions will one day enable the cure of all children with cancers.”

Dr. Su's research is focused on developing novel agents for treating pediatric brain tumors. Dr. Su had been the study chair for multiple clinical trials of novel drugs for pediatric brain tumors through national consortia, including the Children's Oncology Group (COG) and the Pediatric Brain Tumor Consortium (PBTC). Dr. Su continues to enroll children with brain tumors in innovative clinical trials through COG, PBTC, and other national consortium.

Brain tumors are the second most common form of childhood cancer (the most common form of childhood cancer is leukemia). According to the National Brain Tumor Society, over 93,000 Americans will be diagnosed with a primary brain tumor in 2025 and approximately 1 million people in America are currently living with a primary brain tumor. A primary brain tumor refers to one that forms in the brain instead of a tumor that begins in different parts of the body and spreads to the brain. May is Brain Tumor Awareness Month, a time to raise awareness about this common form of childhood cancer. It is also referred to as Brain Cancer Awareness Month or Gray May. 

The difference is life changing    

Dr. Murali M. Chintagumpala, Clinical Director of the Brain Tumor Program at Texas Children’s Hospital and Professor at Baylor College of Medicine, is thrilled to report that Megan’s treatment was a resounding success.

“She started chemotherapy in January and finished in May,” said Dr. Chintagumpala. “After that, our renowned pediatric neurosurgeon, Dr. Guillermo Aldave, removed what was left of the tumor. And I’m happy to report that Megan is now cancer-free. All of us at Texas Children’s are incredibly honored and grateful to be able to make a life-changing difference for patients like Megan and her family.”

Dr. Guillermo Aldave, Director of Neurosurgery Oncology at Texas Children’s Hospital and Associate Professor at Baylor College of Medicine, performed brain surgery to remove Megan’s tumor. 

“Dr. Aldave is so wonderful,” shared Lori. “He is so knowledgeable and honest, while also being kind and communicative, and we just knew Megan was in excellent hands from the moment we met him.” 

“As a pediatric neurosurgeon in the Brain Tumor Program at Texas Children’s Cancer and Hematology Center, I’ve seen many patients with different types of brain tumors,” said Dr. Aldave. “When we treat patients like Megan, our team uses a multidisciplinary approach to ensure every plan is tailored to the patient’s individualized needs to produce the best possible outcome. Our neurosurgery and neuro-oncology teams treat approximately 140 new pediatric brain tumor patients every year — including patients referred from countries around the world.”

Hope for the future

With close collaboration between Drs. Su, Aldave, and members of the pediatric neuro-ophthalmology team, Megan’s chemotherapy was started promptly and her vision monitored closely to ensure that it improved after therapy was started. Today, Megan’s vision in her right eye has completely returned — and she has been able to resume her favorite activities, like painting and birdwatching. 

“She’s very interested in nature and birds specifically,” said Lori. “Her favorite bird is a painted bunting. She’s now a year ahead in school and plans to graduate early next year, then go to university to pursue her passion. She wants to become an ornithologist. I’m so happy her vision is ok.” 

Lori continued, “We're very thankful for advances in medical treatment that allow a tumor like Megan’s to be completely removed, and for treatments to prevent a recurrence. You know, we're just very thankful for all the medical advancements and developments. And we're especially thankful for Texas Children’s Hospital and all the doctors who have done so much for Megan.”

Learn more about the Brain and Spinal Cord Tumor Program at Texas Children’s Cancer Center. To contact the team, call 1-800-226-2379.