A Zahnow Elementary first grader who was recently diagnosed with a brain tumor is receiving encouraging news by the day as community support pours in.

On Dec. 17, 7-year-old Audrey Stanley, the daughter of Jason and Melissa Stanley, was diagnosed with a brain tumor and was scheduled for surgery on Dec. 30. The surgeons were able to remove the majority of it at that time, but could not reach a small part in the brain stem due to the risk.

Since her surgery, she has faced many complications. Audrey developed breathing problems and could not keep her oxygen up to a stable saturation level. On Jan. 1, a team of medical staff worked to intubate her and get her oxygen back up to a safe level.

Since her surgery, she has faced many complications. Audrey developed breathing problems and could not keep her oxygen up to a stable saturation level. On Jan. 1, a team of medical staff worked to intubate her and get her oxygen back up to a safe level.

Once Audrey was stable, she was taken in for a CT scan of the head, where they discovered a condition known as hydrocephalus, which is a buildup of fluid in the ventricles of the brain. It was determined that she needed a procedure completed to relieve the pressure called an external ventricular drain.

She was sent for another CT scan, and it revealed that she had developed another rare complication of a hemorrhage after surgery.  At that point, they determined a second surgery was needed to stop the bleeding.  She remained on a ventilator and Audrey’s parents were told it might be several days before they saw any real activity out of her.

Audrey made significant progress and was soon breathing on her own, but was intubated again when an X-ray determined that her entire left lung had collapsed. At that point, the pressure in her brain increased and Audrey was started on a feeding tube since she had not eaten in days.

Subsequent updates have shown progress in her condition, including good news shared by Audrey’s parents about their little girl.

“Biopsy results confirmed the tumor is benign! Yay! They will proceed with monitoring the small amount that was not removed and consider chemo/radiation down the road. For now, they want to focus on all the other issues and get this girl healed.”

On Tuesday, Jason Stanley provided another positive update:

“The external ventricular drain has been removed and no internal drain is needed at this point,” he said. “She has also graduated to small sips of water and popsicles for today. Now that the (drain) is out, we should be able to really get her walking more, which will really help the congestion and lungs. Overall, she’s doing great!”

Nearly $4,000 has already been raised by the community through a GoFundMe page that was set up in support of the young girl. It can be accessed at www.gofundme.com/fahqfrnw.

The House of Neighborly Service has also agreed to act as a custodian for anyone who wants to donate money to help the Stanley family in their time of need.

HNS will accept checks payable to “HNS-Audrey’s Fund” and will account separately for these donations, remitting funds to the family on a monthly basis along with a report of the donors’ names and amounts donated. HNS is doing this as a community service, and 100 percent of the funds will be passed on to the family.

Donations to HNS-Audrey’s Fund may be sent to P.O. Box 367, Waterloo, IL 62298.
To stay updated on Audrey’s progress, the Facebook page titled “Prayers for Audrey’s Healing” has been created.