The parents of a toddler with terminal brain cancer brought her birthday celebrations forward so she could have her dream princess-themed party surrounded by friends and family.
Stephanie and Andrew McGuire of Brentwood, Tennessee found out in July 2022 that their three-year-old daughter Adalyn had an incurable brain tumor after she had trouble moving her right eye, and they’ve been striving to make every moment as special as possible ever since shape.
Thanks to local charity Dreams and Wishes of Tennessee, which helps young cancer patients achieve their dreams, the McGuires were able to throw a memorable party for Adalyn’s fourth birthday, which actually falls on March 31st.
“We’re not sure she’ll make it to her fourth birthday so we thought let’s have an early party,” mother-of-three Stephanie told .
Photos from the January 7 bash show the young woman in her own princess outfit as she meets some of her favorite Disney characters, including the Frozen cast.
Stephanie and Andrew McGuire of Brentwood, Tennessee, found out in July 2022 that their three-year-old daughter Adalyn had an incurable brain tumor
Thanks to local charity Dreams and Wishes of Tennessee, the McGuires were able to throw an unforgettable party for Adalyn’s fourth birthday, which actually falls on March 31st
One picture shows her with a grin on her face while holding her much-desired birthday dessert, a key lime pie, while another shows her playing with Olaf the snowman as clouds of fake snow fly around.
In a particularly moving video clip, shot by Dreams and Wishes of Tennessee director Tanya Hudson Sturm, Adalyn is seen making another “wish” and “dancing with her daddy” after everyone’s gone.
Sturm captioned the clip: “Guests gone, party shut down…I look over and see this moment happening. I don’t think my heart could take any more.’
Adalyn is currently battling diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG). According to the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, this type of brain tumor is very aggressive and difficult to treat because it occurs in the lowest, “stem-like” part of the brain.
This region, called the pons, controls many of the body’s most important functions, such as breathing, blood pressure, and heart rate.
This condition accounts for only about 4 percent of all pediatric brain tumors, and only 400 to 600 cases are diagnosed in the United States each year.
Adalyn is currently battling diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG). According to the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, this type of brain tumor is very aggressive
“We’re not sure if she’ll make it to her fourth birthday, so we thought let’s have an early party,” said mother-of-three Stephanie
The boy gets his hands on Ariel, the mermaid made out of balloons
Neither surgery nor chemotherapy are options, but Adalyn was placed on steroids to reduce inflammation and she underwent 30 rounds of radiation over a six-week period to try to reduce the size of the tumor.
Since Adalyn’s diagnosis, the McGuires have posted regular blog updates through the CaringBridge website.
Just 24 hours ago we thought we had a perfectly normal and happy 3 year old. And now we’ve learned that she’s anything but normal
In an Aug. 17, 2022 post, they wrote: “Parenting is hard in normal times. But in a way, these strange times make things a lot easier. It’s a lot less complicated when you only have to take care of one thing.
“Life gets a lot easier when you just focus on the thing in front of you. And that’s all you can do in a season like this. One day at a time. And seek joy in every moment. Choose to make every day a good day.”
In her first blog post, Adalyn’s father Andrew describes how her diagnosis came about.
He said on July 8, 2022, that she “woke up from a restful night feeling anything but normal” and her right eye “looked a little off center.”
Concerned about their daughter’s behavior, the McGuires took Adalyn to a local emergency room for an evaluation, and she was taken to Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital for an MRI.
Since Adalyn’s diagnosis, the McGuires have posted regular blog updates through the CaringBridge website
Neither surgery nor chemotherapy are options, but Adalyn (pictured left) was put on steroids to reduce inflammation and she underwent 30 rounds of radiation
Adalyn was seen last July after her first radiation treatment
Recalling the chain of events from there, Andrew wrote: “Shortly after he returned to the exam room in the ER to await Adalyn’s return, a couple of doctors walked in.
“I’m not sure who that was. One of them came up to us and knelt down in front of us. I knew it couldn’t be good news.
“The man quietly explained, ‘We saw something on the MRI. It’s a tumour. It’s in her brainstem. We don’t have much more detail for you right now, but we wanted to let you know what we saw. Your oncologist will be here shortly to discuss more details with you. Do you have any questions?” What should I say? I said to the man, “I have many questions, but none of them will be helpful right now.”
Shortly thereafter, the McGuires met with some oncologists, who told them about Adalyn’s brain tumor and the next steps.
Andrew concluded, “What a day! Just 24 hours ago we thought we had a perfectly normal and happy 3 year old. And now we’ve learned that she’s anything but normal.
“She has a rare, incurable brain tumor. As her parents, we were shocked and heartbroken. We knew what it all meant. And we accepted it for what it was.’
Ms. Sturm, director of Dreams and Wishes of Tennessee, said Adalyn’s recent birthday party helped the McGuires bring back happier memories. Along with a key lime pie, the youngster’s other requests included meatballs, hot dogs and Chick-fil-A chicken nuggets.
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