Niamh Shackleton
A mom was left devastated after learning that her two-year-old daughter had a brain tumour, despite doctors previously telling her it was strep.
In 2023, Gracelyn Stiffler complained of feeling unwell and 'started regressing', her mother, Catherine Owens, explained.
Gracelyn was just two at the time, and when the youngster said she'd hit her head and started vomiting, Catherine rushed her to the emergency room after fearing Gracelyn had concussion.
But there was no bump or any indication that Gracelyn had hit her head, so doctors decided to test her for several illnesses.
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This is when the two-year-old tested positive for strep throat, which is what medical professionals put Gracelyn's reason for feeling unwell down to.
Ahead of the positive strep test, one of the key things that Gracelyn had been complaining about was headaches — specifically at a point behind her ear.
As well as a headache, Catherine, who lives in West Monroe, Louisiana, with her family, noticed that in the summer of 2023 Gracelyn had started walking with her head titled and that the toddler was off-balance.
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She'd also started having 'accidents', said her mom, despite Gracelyn being potty trained since she was 18 months old.
It was after her strep diagnosis that Gracelyn became more unwell, sparking Catherine to take her to a pediatrician, as well as another trip to the emergency room.
Ultimately Catherine demanded that her daughter had a CT scan, which revealed the news that no parent ever wants to hear — Gracelyn had masses on her brain.
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The toddler was then rushed for an MRI scan, which revealed that she had a Grade 2 ependymoma (a type of brain tumor) that needed operating on quickly.
Following a nine-hour surgery, doctors removed as much of the tumor as they could.
While the tumor wasn't cancerous, Gracelyn's doctors said it was 'as close as it can be to cancerous'.
"It was intense," Catherine said of the surgery to TODAY. "They were confident that they had gotten (the tumor) all out."
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But it was later revealed that Gracelyn still had some tumor left nestled into her brain and she needed more surgery to remove it before she underwent radiotherapy.
In light of their experience, Catherine is encouraging other parents to trust their gut when it comes to their child's health.
"I knew something was seriously wrong with Gracelyn, my mom gut," she says. "I want everyone to know I’m on their side and I’m rooting for them."
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You can follow Gracelyn's journey via her mom's TikTok page @ocatherine02, where she documents the family's day-to-day lives.