Watching your teen don a cap and gown and graduate high school is a proud moment for parents, but the experience was an especially emotional one for Lynn Valley mom Gillian Parrott whose daughter, Julia, has overcome some huge obstacles to get where she is today.
Back in 2005, when Julia was seven, she started suffering from headaches and vomiting. One evening, while Julia was doing her homework, Gillian was troubled by the sight of her daughter holding her face and rocking back and forth as her eyes watered. They visited an optometrist who noticed something behind Julia’s eye and said they had better go to the hospital. A CT scan at B.C. Children’s Hospital confirmed the devastating news: there was a fast-growing tumour on the left side of Julia’s brain.
Doctors were able to remove the mass and Julia underwent six rounds of chemotherapy and a stem cell transplant. When she was released from hospital in September of that year, everything seemed OK.
“She was doing really well,” recalls Gillian. “I wasn’t worried at all then.”
The following April, the family was back at the hospital for a checkup and received more unwanted news: another tumour had appeared in the same area. This time they opted for radiation – 31 rounds to Julia’s spine and brain. It proved effective and Julia, now 18, has been cancer-free since 2009. But the harsh treatment took a toll on her body. It affected her brain, her hearing, and her eyesight. She now has hypocalcaemia, which means her calcium levels drop to dangerously low levels, and she has problems with her legs, which prevent her from walking long distances. Despite these ongoing issues, though, Gillian is pleased to say that things are under control health-wise.
“Everything is really good right now – like, really, really, really good,” she says.
Julia graduated from Seycove secondary in June and got on the honour roll in her modified program for students with special needs. For her graduation celebration, which included a harbour boat cruise followed by a dinner and dance at the Pinnacle Hotel downtown, she wore a strapless teal dress – something she picked out last summer. And she had plenty of help from the community getting ready for the big night.
Paula Skalnek from Twizzle Hair Studio gave her long, wavy extensions donated by Mike Andrews at West Coast Beauty Co. to help fill out her existing hair, which is very fine due to the cancer treatment. And Isabelle’s Bridal sewed a corset into the back of her dress – free of charge – making the garment adjustable to accommodate fluctuations in Julia’s weight caused by her hypocalcaemia.
“A lot of people did nice things for her for her graduation,” Gillian says, adding that the high school graduation milestone has made her reflect on all the support their family has received over the years. “So many people have done so much for us.”
The Parrott family has certainly reciprocated. Gillian’s husband, Rob, co-owns Mangia E Bevi Ristorante in West Vancouver. The Italian eatery holds an annual fundraiser called BACIO (Because a Cure is Obtainable) and has raised more than $300,000 in support of oncology at B.C. Children’s Hospital and Lions Gate Hospital since 2008. Rob has raised an additional $140,000 as a four-time participant in the Ride to Conquer Cancer. Meanwhile, every April Gillian and Julia canvass their neighbourhood for the Canadian Cancer Society’s Daffodil Month campaign. And Julia’s younger brother, who will be going into Grade 11 at Sutherland secondary in the fall, volunteers at North Shore Neighbourhood House, where Julia attends an after-school club for teens with special needs.
With high school now behind her, Julia is taking some much-needed time to relax. She’s already enjoyed a week in Mexico and plans to continue meeting her friends at teen club. Come fall, she plans to upgrade her schooling so she can apply to study child care at Capilano University. Working with children is a passion she discovered while completing her school work experience requirements at a preschool.
“She has a real way with kids,” says Gillian, who speaks about Julia’s future education and career with excitement. “My goodness, we’ve got this far. We’re so lucky.”
