Team Daphne

A local six year old, after being diagnosed with a dangerous malignant brain tumor, was immediately flown to Inova Children’s Hospital in Falls Church, VA. It was there that Inova’s Pediatric Neurosciences team, Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, and many other experts at Inova Children’s Hospital took her successfully through a 16-hour surgery, chemo, rehabilitation, and a remarkable recovery.

Last spring, when Cathy Branham’s youngest daughter, Daphne, began to experience chronic headaches, the mom of three girls scheduled a routine appointment with the family pediatrician. Both Branham and her oldest daughter had endured migraines for years and she suspected her 6-year-old was headed down that same path.

But on Mother’s Day, things took a turn for the worse. Daphne had sudden, severe head pain accompanied by repeated vomiting. Branham’s intuition and training as a registered nurse allowed her to recognize the severity of Daphne’s symptoms.

“She had a horrible headache, she was complaining of dizziness and weakness and she told me she couldn’t walk,” remembers Branham.

Branham rushed her daughter to the emergency room near their home in Winchester. The emergency staff diagnosed Daphne with a migraine and gave her anti-nausea medication and a pain reliever to alleviate her symptoms. But Branham asked for a CT scan to rule out anything more serious. When the doctor returned with the test results, Branham braced herself for the worst. The doctor informed her that Daphne had a brain hemorrhage and she would need to be flown to Inova Children’s Hospital located on the Inova Fairfax Hospital campus. Branham will never forget her daughter’s brave reaction.

“At that point I started to cry and Daphne said to me, ‘Mom, just think happy thoughts; think of rainbows.’”

Ready to Help

Both mother and daughter were transported by helicopter to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) at Inova Children’s Hospital where an expert team trained to diagnose and treat the most complex neurological conditions was ready to take care of Daphne. Branham soon learned that Daphne had a tumor that would require immediate surgery.

Leon Moores, MD, Director of Pediatric Neurosciences at Inova, explained that the tumor was intertwined with Daphne’s cranial nerves and that she might experience temporary or possibly long-term deficits affecting her ability to eat, talk, hear and even breathe. He assured Branham that if she wanted to check on Daphne at any time during the surgery, a member of the staff would keep her informed.

The surgery lasted 16 hours. Just after midnight, Dr. Moores came out of the operating room to speak with Branham, her family and her pastor. He explained that the team had removed a malignant tumor about the size of a chicken egg. The pathology later revealed that the tumor was an ependymoma.

“This particular type of tumor has a tendency to grow around nerves and blood vessels,” says Dr. Moores. “We were able to remove all of the visible tumor, both under our microscope and on the follow-up MRI. The best surgical result you can hope for is to try to get it all out and fortunately, in her case, we were able to achieve that.”

Road to Recovery

After a six-day stay in the PICU and two days in the Hematology/Oncology Department, Daphne was provided with follow-up care in the Pediatric Hematology and Oncology Department where she met with Jeff Knipstein, MD, a pediatric hematologist/oncologist from Pediatric Specialists of Virginia, who is coordinating her chemotherapy and radiation treatments.

Despite some temporary deficits affecting her speech, hearing and her ability to swallow, Daphne was able to return to school to finish out the academic year.

“She had a very large tumor in a very difficult location that oftentimes results in profound neurological deficits, and the fact that she came out of the surgery as well as she did is quite reassuring,” says Dr. Knipstein.

As for Branham, she finally got her Mother’s Day gift.

Two days after her surgery, Daphne was out of bed and walking with a walker. Within a few days of being home from the hospital she was riding her bicycle. As of press time, she had finished two cycles of chemotherapy.

“Daphne is the same spunky 6-year-old she was before the surgery,” gushes Branham. “She is doing absolutely fantastic. Her recovery from the surgery has been nothing less than remarkable.”

Lending a Hand

To help young patients cope with the stress of illness and hospitalization, Child Life specialists at Inova Children’s Hospital work with children and their families during their hospital stay.

“Our Child Life specialists help our patients deal with new diagnoses and provide  them with distractions while they’re in the hospital,” says Jeff Knipstein, MD.

The pediatric healthcare professionals are  available to help children prepare for medical procedures, provide coping strategies, offer support during medical procedures and give pre-surgical tours. They also  provide information and guidance for  parents, siblings and other family members.  Child Life specialists tailor services to each child’s individual needs.