Five years after the worst day of her life, Aledo senior Gracie Kirby is enjoying one of life's most memorable moments.
She is now a graduate of Aledo High School, ready to take on the world — a world that five years ago seemed anything but exciting. And even as she moves forward, challenges from her past have continued to resurface.
But she's not letting that stop her from enjoying life. Gracie is more vibrant and outgoing than most people who have never had a major health problem, especially one that affects the brain.
In 2018, at age 13, Gracie was diagnosed with a rare brain tumor. So rare, in fact, that she was only the 16th person in the world to receive such a diagnosis.
"Me and a girl in Germany, we had this friendly little controversy. She said she was the 15th and I said I am," Gracie said with a chuckle — something she's doing a lot more of these days. "We also had our surgeries on the same day."
Gracie was diagnosed with Central Neurocytoma. It blocks the flow of cerebral spinal fluid, causing fluid buildup.
While her tumor was benign, and not life-threatening, there were many times Gracie felt otherwise. She had constant headaches, nausea, vomiting, visual, and behavorial changes.
To deal with this, she had her original surgery on April 16, 2018.
"If the fluid had kept pushing I could have gone blind," Gracie said, also noting likely seizures.
Ironically, Gracie found out about her tumor after going in to see why her elbow was hurting. In the search for the source of that problem she said they did a scan of her entire body, which brought some shocking news.
"They said, 'We want to talk to your mom first,'" Gracie recalled. "Then, they called me in and my mom was bawling her eyes out. Then, they told me and I started bawling my eyes out.
"They saw the tip of it (the tumor). Had that not happened who knows when it would have been found?"
Then, in 2019 Gracie received some more disheartening news. She was told there were still some small remnants of the tumor.
She was also told it could probably be treated with radiation. That didn't make her feel any better.
"That broke me. I didn't want to do radiation," she said. "I'm a teenage girl and I didn't want to lose my hair."
However, she did undergo radiation treatment, something she is now proud of.
"At the beginning of this year I wrote that was my greatest accomplishment," she said with a smile.
But still she and the tumor weren't through with each other. Late last year she received news that there still four small spots, one of which was actually malignant.
Even the way she learned was shocking. It came after she underwent a routine spinal tap checkup.
"A lady came in, and I guess she thought we already had a meeting with the doctor, but she said, 'There are three spots we are watching,'" Gracie said. "I thought, 'Oh crap! It ended up being four.
"I said, 'Okay, let's do it again.'"
So she underwent another radiation treatment.
In fact, she may be in store for more down the road, she said.
"I guess I'm not done yet. They grow super slow," she explained.
Gracie said the original tumor was about the size of a ping pong ball. The subsequent ones have been smaller than a penny.
"They might not grow again because of the previous radiation, but if they do I'll have to do radiation again or surgery," she said. "I keep thinking I'm done and I'm not."
Gracie did not let the tumor keep her from enjoying life as a student. She returned to Aledo, where she was a member of the dance team her sophomore year.
Then, she transferred to Weatherford Christian School for her junior year and was more active than she had ever been. She participated in several sports and was a cheerleader.
"I used my brain tumor as an excuse to get out of tumbling," she said with a chuckle. "They'd ask, 'Can you tumble?' and I'd say, 'I can't because I have a brain tumor.' Of course I can tumble, but it worked to get me out of it because I don't like tumbling."
However, she missed her friends at Aledo and returned for her senior year. She's now a member of Leading Ladies, a community service program.
Academically, she's solid. Though she is still not a fan of math.
"I think if anything I got better (after the treatment)," she said, chuckling. "I asked the surgeon if, when they were in there, could he add some math facts. They didn't. I'm not better at math."
Gracie plans to attend the University of Oklahoma to study nursing with a minor in psychology or speech pathology.
Among those Gracie has inspired are Aledo High School counselor Annie Walker, who called her “the picture of perseverance.”
“Her strength and determination are to be praised. Despite the numerous intense medical procedures, her will to overcome remains strong. Her strength and dignity are a testament to her unwavering might,” Walker said. “When she walks into any room, the room becomes brighter with her smile and infectious personality. Despite her continuous setbacks, Grace has never faltered. Aledo High School has been fortunate to have Grace as a representative of our school.”
Gracie said something that kept her strong was knowing her family and folks in the Aledo community were by her side every step of the way. She said it even tightened an already strong bond between herself and her older brother Brooks.
"As soon as he heard I was getting admitted, I think he was the first to show up at the hospital," she said. "He was always bringing me food to the hospital. He babysat me."
The iconic Paint Shack, once a local staple for years, was painted twice to honor Gracie. That was just one of many ways the community rallied behind her, including folks at her school raising some money to help her and her family.
"That's another reason I had to come back to Aledo. Everyone here was just so good to me," she said.
Gracie admits there were some dark times emotionally during her battle.
"My sophomore year I was diagnosed with depression. I just wanted to sleep," she said. "But I prayed and got back into my small group. I got baptized right after radiation in 2019."
That, she said, has helped greatly with her finding a sense of focus in moving forward. Now, the depression is behind her and she's embracing every day.
"I had a teacher ask, 'Why are you always so happy?' It's because of God. He has a plan for me," Gracie said.
And she's not letting little things bother her anymore. For example, she laughed and told the story of how she would have previously been little uneasy about getting a deep cleaning from a dentist.
Not now.
"I don't really let things scare me anymore," she said. "I just say, 'Oh, I've had a brain tumor."
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