HOPEWELL, Va. -- A little girl from Hopewell who is just 18 months old is battling a brain tumor. She is now at St. Judes Hospital in Memphis with her mother and father.
One Chesterfield County mother understands exactly what they are going through as she has faced the same battle with her own daughter.
So much has changed for Aricka "Sissy" Milton in just a few short weeks. The little girl whose favorite words were juice, oh no, buggies and bye-bye is now unable to talk. As of September, she has vocal cord paralysis.
As the world began to close in, Erick and Taylor Milton learned what was causing the problems after a trip to the hospital.
"That's where he found fluid in her brain ventricles and said it was a mass," Taylor, Aricka's mother, said.
Sissy, as her family calls her, has already had her first surgery. Doctors said they believe they were able to get 60% of the tumor. She is now in the process of starting chemotherapy with another surgery to follow.
It's a scenario that Pam Branch experienced with her six-year-old daughter Sydney just last year.
"They did a CT scan and it showed a mass and then they admitted her," Branch said.
Next, an MRI showed more and brought urgency to her treatment. Sydney's tumor was inoperable so they started with radiation.
Shortly after Sydney was diagnosed with cancer, a fundraiser was held to support her.
"It meant the world to us. I mean, I could not have done, I could not have stayed out of work and kept Sydney and took care of her if I did not have those donations from everybody," Branch said.
Tragically, Sydney lost her battle with cancer.
"I knew like, that Sydney might not be healed, like Earthly, but I feel she's healed now. It might not have been what I wanted but I know she can walk and talk and be her cheerful self now," Branch said.
After Branch learned of Sissy's diagnosis, she was determined to have the fundraiser continue as it honors the name of her late daughter. For this year's fundraiser, Branch selected the Milton family to be the recipients.
"It's a huge relief, it takes a lot of stress off of us. We can focus more on just trying to get our baby better and helping her to do whatever it takes so she can get through this," Erick said.
The couple has special thoughts about Pam.
"I think she is an amazing person because to have lost your daughter to something so hard and still advocate for others and want help for others, I just think that takes a very strong and caring person to do that," Taylor said.
Both families are also concerned about what they call the four percent.
"Only four percent of cancer research funding goes toward child cancer research, leaving 96% towards regular cancer," Taylor said. "We have to increase that number from four percent because our children are worth more than four percent."
"So that's every childhood cancer like that's not just brain cancer," Branch said. "It needs to be changed, children deserve to have a second chance."
Pam also has words of advice for the Miltons - to never give up hope and faith.
Both Erick and Taylor said they're preparing to be at St. Judes for the next six months and while they understand what's ahead for them and Sissy, they are grateful for the support and the prayers.
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