Tumour doesn't stop the party

ROBERT CHARLES/Manawatu Standard

MILESTONE: Maia Booth has fun at her fourth birthday party, despite suffering from a brain tumour and blindness.

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Brain cancer and blindness wasn't going to stop Maia Booth from having fun at her fourth birthday party yesterday.

The brave little girl ran around with her friends at the Dora the Explorer-themed party and gorged on chippies, her favourite food, and fizzy drink at the Seventh Day Adventist Church in Palmerston North.

Parents Steven Booth, 31, and Sarah Elliot, 23, said they were humbled by the community's efforts and that of close family friend Janese Cameron, who organised the party.

Mrs Cameron teaches Maia's older brother Malakai, 5, and is friends with their grandmother, Gloria Booth.

"She's adorable, just bubbly, outgoing and fun," Mrs Cameron said.

In May, Maia was diagnosed with a brain tumour, her mother said.

"We just took her in for a check up because she was smiling funny and they did a scan and it showed the tumour."

In June, Maia was flown to Starship Children's Hospital to begin chemotherapy.

During the following months Ms Elliot left Malakai and her two-year- old son Oshay with their dad to take Maia to Auckland every three weeks for treatment.

The Tiki Tane fan got through her numerous treatments by listening to her iPod and collecting 300 or so courage beads. "She loves to sing and dance," Ms Elliot said.

Both mother and daughter have neurofibromatosis, a genetic illness that causes tumours to grow on nerves. It affects about one in 3000 people.

"I knew what's to come with it," Ms Elliot said. "She's going to have the tumour for the rest of her life, it's just whether it grows."

Since the diagnosis, Maia's eyesight had significantly decreased to the point where she is now almost blind. This is caused by thickening behind her eyes, called bilateral optic glioma.

"She's still happy but she gets frustrated," Ms Elliot said.

Maia's left hand is always clenched and left side of her mouth is affected by the tumour.

For now, her future is uncertain.

"[The doctors are] not really saying anything just yet because they don't want to freak us out."

But she will continue chemotherapy for another six months at Wellington Hospital before undergoing radiation therapy or surgery. "If they do the operation they said there is a high risk of us losing her," Ms Elliot said.

* For more information about Neurofibromatosis go to www.nfnz.org.nz

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