Catherine Rowan

Catherine was diagnosed with a sacrococcygeal teratoma before her birth, which was removed when she was three days old. She has had 48 surgeries so far. She was diagnosed with a brain tumor on 11-8-2007, a month before her sister was born. She underwent chemotherapy for 18 months. She eats with a g-tube. She has a neurogenic bladder and hence has to catheterize herself and do colon irrigations. We are monitoring her kidney functioning, as well as the efficacy of other organs. She has had two heart surgeries, one of which was open. She is tiny for her age, but has a remnant of her brain tumor and a new spinal tumor, so she cannot take growth hormones. She is about to start the tenth grade.We homeschooled for many years, but recently put our children in private school. We love to travel and have visited almost all of the contiguous American states. We love to play games, paint. We have a dog my daughter loves. Sabrina, Catherine's sister, plays volleyball and soccer. Both girls have been involved in local theater and we love watching plays. Sabrina wants to be either a chef or a lawyer. Mom is an attorney and works primarily in juvenile court. Dad works for corporate Home Depot in IT.