Brownsville area community rallies around 10-year-old girl with brain cancer
Submitted photo
The Brownsville area community is rallying around the Sealy family, of Hiller, after Olivia Sealy, 10, was diagnosed with a rare form of brain cancer in May. From left are Shannon Sealy, Colin Sealy, Olivia Sealy and Ron Sealy.
Submitted photo
Olivia Sealy, 10, of Hiller was diagnosed with a rare form of brain cancer in May and is undergoing chemotherapy. She is a fifth-grader at Brownsville Area School District. A fundraiser for her on Sept. 12 has been moved to the Sons of Italy in Brownsville.
A mother鈥檚 intuition led to a quick diagnosis, but one that was dreaded: her 10-year-old daughter had brain cancer.
Shannon Sealy of Hiller noticed her daughter, Olivia 鈥淟ivi鈥� Sealy, was dragging her left foot, and that she had weakness in her left arm. She made an appointment with her primary care physician, and had blood work and X-rays performed.
鈥淪omething in my gut said 鈥楳ove a little faster,'鈥� she said.
She made an appointment at Children鈥檚 Hospital, and they were immediately sent to the emergency department. Doctors delivered the news May 22 that Livi had Pilocytic Astrocytoma Grade 1, a slow growing brain tumor. In Livi鈥檚 case, the tumor is inoperable because it is located deep within her thalamus, the main central nervous system.
鈥淚t鈥檚 tough, but we have a lot of family support, community support, and we just know the outlook is in our favor, so we鈥檙e just trying to get to that point,鈥� she said.
She is on her second round of chemotherapy, which will likely be ongoing for a year or more.
鈥淪he will have this for life, but the goal is that it shrinks the tumor and makes it dormant, where the cancer cells are not reproducing,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 what the goal is, but no one knows for sure how that鈥檚 going to go. We have to get through the first 12 weeks of chemotherapy, and then we get a scan done and we go from there.鈥�
Livi will be a fifth-grade student at Brownsville Area School District in the fall. Sealy said she and her husband, Ron, have been keeping Livi away from crowds due to the pandemic, and Livi keeps in close contact with her friends on FaceTime.
鈥淲e鈥檙e just kind of staying inside, doing our thing, familywise. We more or less want to keep her as healthy as we can for as long as we can,鈥� she said.
Livi was a longtime student at DeeDee鈥檚 Studio of Dance, but weakness and fatigue forced her to quit while she goes through treatment. Instead, she has taken up arts and crafts and playing games, which the family received through donations.
Sealy said her husband鈥檚 mother often lends a helping hand, and her parents, who live in eastern Pennsylvania, have often brought their RV for trips to help the family and help care for their son, Colin, who is 2. Shannon Sealy has worked as the secretary of the Historic Church of St. Peter in Brownsville for 10 years and Ron Sealy is the foreman of California University of Pennsylvania鈥檚 Student Association Inc., which oversees the university鈥檚 athletic fields.
鈥淭he support that my husband and I and my family have been getting has been phenomenal and very touching. It鈥檚 a beautiful thing. I know this is a very sad time for us, but it鈥檚 very nice for us to know we are loved in many, many ways,鈥� she said.
Area residents have formed 鈥淭eam Livi鈥� to support the family. Family friend Davis Slagle of BeeGraphix in Fredericktown developed an online store to help raise funds for the family and for her medical treatments. He created a logo including Livi鈥檚 favorite color, pink, and is selling merchandise including T-shirts, bracelets and face masks.
A take-out spaghetti dinner will also raise funds for the family from noon to 6 p.m. Sept. 12 in St. Peter鈥檚 social hall at 118 Church St., Brownsville. The full-course dinner is $8 for a large serving and $4 for small. The event will also feature raffles, basket drawings, a bake sale, tickets with cash prizes and a chance to win a three-minute shopping spree at Riverside Family Market in Grindstone.
For more information, to volunteer or purchase advance tickets, contact Holly Swift at 724-984-5847 or hollye1152@hotmail.com; Melissa Ternitsky at 724-208-8223 or mctttct@gmail.com; or Annette Buffer at 724-561-5616 or annettebuffer538@hotmail.com.