Michelle Reilly of Nanaimo and her family are in a battle against cancer that has formed in the girl’s spinal cord.
The 16-year-old, active in sports, especially volleyball, just a few short months ago, now relies on a wheelchair.
Reilly started having back pain last summer, which was followed by numbing in her legs and partial paralysis from her waist down. An MRI at B.C. Children’s Hospital in Vancouver revealed a tumour on her spine. Three days later, on Oct. 5, she underwent a nine-and-a-half-hour-long surgery, which removed most of tumour, but a biopsy revealed she has primary glioblastoma, an extremely rare, highly aggressive form of cancer on her spinal cord.
Her family is now reaching out to the community through a $10,000 GoFundMe campaign to help pay for travel and other expenses associated with seeking treatment in the U.S.
Brittany Reilly, Reilly’s stepmother who set up the GoFundMe, said said the family is awaiting the results of an MRI scan to be conducted Monday, Dec. 17, which will give them a better idea what kind of treatment should be sought and from where.
“Once they get that information, that’s when they can figure out where she can go and what she can do … I don’t know how much this is really going to cost so I figured I’ll start with something low-ish to cover anything that she needs,” said Brittany Reilly. “Worst-case scenario, this is going to cover anything that she needs, even if she has to fly out to visit other doctors, wheelchairs to get around, stuff that isn’t covered.”
Because the disease is so rare, doctors in Canada, who have little experience with this form of cancer, have recommended Reilly seek possible treatment in the U.S., according to the family.
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— DoverBayAthletics (@DoverAthletics) December 16, 2018
Reilly is a promising volleyball player, who played for the Mariners Volleyball Club team.
“The Mariners kind of had something going on for her … I even have some pictures of her playing volleyball,” Brittany Reilly said. “She went to provincials a lot. She played club. Yeah, very, very active.”
Vancouver Island University Mariners women’s volleyball players wore red ribbons in their hair in their home opener this fall to show support for Reilly.
To view or contribute to the GoFundMe for Michelle Reilly’s treatment, click here.
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