September 11, 2023
The Day Everything Changed : These were Seana’s first words to the world after her diagnosis.

Hi everyone! This post is to make you all aware of some recent events that have changed my life.

Entering my final year of PA school, I was thriving in every way. I felt on top of the world; focusing on self-love, my studies, and self-improvement. I had everything set up to have an amazing last year of school.

Going with the theme of self improvement, I decided it was maybe time to get an eye exam due to headaches I was experiencing after long days of working and studying. What started as an innocent eye doctor’s appointment turned into something unimaginable. In the days following my eye exam I was experiencing double vision and I had no idea why. Testing my eyes for misalignment in the bathroom mirror, I realized my left eye had gone lazy, causing me to see 2 separate images of everything in sight. My parents took me to Wills Eye ED once I completed my last day of my first clinical rotation on August 31. It just so happened that this was the same day I got a haircut, so luckily I looked good at the hospital. I received an MRI and after a long night of testing, I was informed that there was a mass in the pons of my brain stem.

Shortly after, we were told that I had an extremely rare form of pediatric brain cancer. With only 300 cases diagnosed in the US per year, it is one of the most puzzling types of brain tumors. I have an incredible medical team at CHOP, and we have decided a biopsy is necessary to map out the best path forward in my care. The biopsy will be early Wednesday morning, September 13.

I have a lot of peace in this moment, as I have never felt as close to the Lord as I do now. Over the past week and a half I have felt the most love I have ever experienced in my life. I am looking forward to sharing more of what the Lord has been doing in my life and in my heart through this diagnosis. “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:7

I’m asking for everyone’s prayers, love, and healing energy. It is so hard to put into words how much your support means to me and my family, as it will give me the strength to be the exception. I am determined, positive, and hopeful. If I’m rare enough to get it, I’m rare enough to beat it.

A lot of you may have questions for me and will want to hear updates, but at this time I am focusing on myself and my healing. I ask that you refrain from directly reaching out to me. Instead, you can go to the link in my bio to follow my Caring Bridge site where updates will be posted regularly of my journey, as well as joining my Facebook group Exceptional Seana where you can share kind words, positive thoughts, and prayers. 🙏🤍👩‍🦰