Charly is a dancer, singer, and extremely philanthropic. She bakes for the veterans at her father’s workplace and has held many fundraisers, one of which was for underprivileged kids on her birthday. Despite being diagnosed with medulloblastoma, Charly remained an Honor Roll student through her treatment, remains on track to graduate high school in 2023, and her family has lost count of how many times she has donated her hair before getting radiation.
Before her diagnosis, Charly was experiencing personality changes, nausea, vomiting and headaches. Due to her results from a previous neurological exam, her family had been tracking for migraines, anxiety and depression. When Charly developed double vision, she was referred to an eye doctor who requested an immediate MRI. Fluid had built up and he saw hemorrhaging of her ocular nerve. The MRI revealed her three-centimeter tumor and the lesion in her spinal column.
After the discovery Charly was transported to Duke Children’s Hospital in North Carolina. There, her neurosurgeon successfully removed her brain tumor. She then had to receive six weeks of proton radiation therapy at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. The drive was far, and Charly’s family wasn’t sure how they were going to get there. Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation stood by them when they needed it most – through the Travel For Care program, they were provided a gas card, which made the crucial trip possible.
"We would not have made it to treatment without the support of Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation." - Sarah, Charly's mom
