On trip in 2014, Kaycie Kraus, then 14, skilled a extreme migraine with an aura that wouldn’t dissipate. Her mother took her to the emergency room, and medical doctors advisable the household comply with up with a neurologist, who ordered scans of her mind. The outcomes felt beautiful — she had a mind tumor.
“(We) obtained an MRI, which revealed the pilocytic astrocytoma that Kaycie had in her midbrain,” Kristi Kraus, 53, Kaycie Kraus’ mother, tells TODAY.com. “It hit onerous for us as a result of there was no good selection for … remedy.”
The tumor, pilocytic astrocytoma, is a standard benign childhood mind tumor, in line with the Nationwide Library of Drugs. In lots of instances, medical doctors can take away them. However Kaycie Kraus wasn’t a candidate due to the place her tumor was situated.
Devastated by the shortage of choices, the household realized about laser ablation, which might cease the tumor’s progress with out dangerous surgical procedure or quite a few rounds of chemotherapy. A decade later, Kaycie Kraus and her household really feel relieved they discovered a physician that supplied her this remedy and a wholesome life.
“There may be nonetheless residual tumor there. It’s not fully gone,” Kristi Kraus says. “However it’s inactive in the mean time.”
Migraines result in tumor prognosis
Throughout puberty, Kaycie Kraus started experiencing excruciating migraines with auras.
“The migraines had been positively bizarre for me as a result of they only got here out of nowhere,” the now 24-year-old from St. Louis tells TODAY.com. “I by no means had them earlier than, in order that was clearly scary.”
The worst one hit whereas she was on trip, and she or he prevented the solar and seaside within the hopes of easing her ache.
“I used to be in a darkish room,” she says. “It could not go away. It was all day lengthy. I used to be scared.”
After returning dwelling and following up with a neurologist, she acquired her prognosis in December 2014.
“The mind tumor wasn’t inflicting the complications,” Kristi Kraus says. “It was a coincidence that we discovered the mind tumor that was doubtlessly going to proceed to develop and trigger deficits like weak spot on the fitting facet of her physique.”
Kaycie Kraus says having a mind tumor felt “scary,” however she “was primarily simply attempting to stay constructive.”
The household started exploring remedy choices, and Kaycie Kraus visited the close by youngsters’s hospital. Surgical procedure wasn’t an choice due to the place the tumor sat in her mind, and the hospitals’ tumor board, a gaggle of most cancers medical doctors who assist determine on remedy for sure instances, advisable chemotherapy.
However she felt cautious about present process a remedy which may not even efficiently cease the tumor from rising. Medical doctors additionally mentioned she might need to undergo chemotherapy a number of occasions all through her life to maintain the tumor in examine. As an athlete and equestrian, she fearful that being unwell from chemotherapy unintended effects would cease her from having fun with the hobbies she beloved.
“I used to be scared I used to be going to be sick for nevertheless lengthy it took,” Kaycie Kraus says. “We positively wished to discover completely different choices.”
The household appeared into laser ablation, a kind of remedy that might hopefully make the tumor inert and perhaps even shrink it with out surgical procedure. On the time, it wasn’t a extensively used remedy, and so they wanted to seek out a physician to do it. An area physician may do it however agreed that Kaycie Kraus ought to obtain chemotherapy.
“The tumor board determined that she ought to simply do the standard chemo, which is what they might ordinarily prescribe for any person with a mind tumor,” Kristi Kraus says. “We weren’t going to only accept that.”
Kristi Kraus started researching and located a physician on the Cleveland Clinic, Dr. Gene Barnett, who agreed to carry out laser ablation on Kaycie Kraus. The household traveled to Cleveland in April 2015 for the process.
Whereas the laser ablation went nicely, restoration felt robust. When Kaycie Kraus awoke, she thought her head was “10 occasions the conventional dimension.”
“That’s what it felt wish to her,” Kristi Kraus says. “She had numerous anxiousness about that, however I simply stored reassuring her that her head is just not large. It’s a standard dimension.”
Whereas the primary 12 hours following surgical procedure had been difficult, Kaycie Kraus started feeling higher.
“Fairly quickly after that, my dad took me on a stroll,” she says.
The household feels grateful that Kaycie Kraus may bear laser ablation.
“It was a really troublesome process for her … however it was a significantly better, simpler restoration (than mind surgical procedure),” Kristi Kraus says. “She recovered nicely with out deficits.”
Laser ablation for mind tumors
Whereas Kaycie Kraus’ mind tumor was thought of benign, the place it was situated made it troublesome to deal with. If left unchecked, she may have skilled bother transferring the fitting facet of her physique, Barnett says.
“It is in place that’s actually surgically inaccessible with standard strategies,” Barnett, director of Cleveland Clinic’s mind tumor and neuro-oncology heart, and Kaycie Kraus’ physician, tells TODAY.com.
Her tumor rested in her midbrain subsequent to necessary nerves.
“The nerve bundle that allowed her to maneuver her proper facet was instantly adjoining to this tumor,” Barnett says. “So shut, in actual fact, that when she had her biopsy… she had weak spot in her proper facet for months.”
If one thing injured these nerve bundles, Kaycie Kraus may have skilled everlasting weak spot. A exact remedy was wanted.
“(Laser ablation) was actually her best choice,” Barnett says. “There are actually no recognized latent unintended effects of this process.”
Stereotactic laser ablation, or extra merely, laser ablation, depends on laser and MRI to focus on a tumor with excessive temperatures to make it inert, Barnett says.
“It makes use of the precept that in the event you warmth tissue as much as a excessive sufficient temperature, lengthy sufficient, that you simply’ll kill it no matter whether or not it’s good or unhealthy tissue,” Barnett says.
After medical doctors make a gap within the cranium a couple of quarter of an inch round, they use a laser directed on the tumor and a particular sort of MRI. The MRI permits medical doctors to watch the consequences of the laser whereas utilizing a pc that predicts how the tissue is changing into. This permits medical doctors to ensure they’re killing the unhealthy tissue, the tumor, and sparing the wholesome tissue.
Kaycie Kraus’ process went nicely, however it took time to see if it labored.
“The tumor itself obtained just a little huge bigger. It’s not unusual really that there’s some swelling that happens in these instances,” Barnett says. “Through the years, it has gotten progressively smaller in dimension, and even to at the present time, it’s getting considerably smaller.”
Whereas Barnett anticipates this pattern to proceed, if Kaycie Kraus’s tumor begins rising once more, they will carry out laser ablation on it a second time.
“It’s very rewarding to have been part of her journey,” Barnett says.
Advocating on your well being
Kaycie Kraus shares her story to encourage others going through troublesome diagnoses.
“(I hope) folks in related conditions to mine simply have hope to see the sunshine on the finish of the tunnel and stay constructive and powerful,” she says.
For Kristi Kraus, she desires others to study the significance of advocating on your well being.
“It’s necessary to get as many opinions as you possibly can,” she says. “You really want to discover all of the choices.”
Kaycie Kraus feels grateful for the way her dad and mom devoted a lot time in talking up for her.
“They actually had been my sturdy shoulders to cry on and they’re so necessary to me,” she says. “I wouldn’t be capable of do that with out them.”
Regardless that Kristi Kraus remained outspoken on behalf of her daughter, it wasn’t all the time straightforward. The remedy choices all appeared like they’d depart Kaycie Kraus with lingering well being issues, and at occasions she and her husband Mike Kraus weren’t certain what to do.
“It was probably the most excruciating time,” she says. “We actually felt like we needed to advocate for our daughter to seek out the perfect attainable remedy.”
Their persistence paid off, and Kaycie Kraus loved a wholesome teenage life. She graduated from Maryville College in St. Louis final spring with a enterprise diploma. Since present process her surgical procedure, she has continued to journey horses and is hoping to discover a job the place she will use her diploma.
“I’m having fun with life to the fullest,” she says.
This text was initially revealed on TODAY.com
