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10-year-old girl who survived deadly brain tumor to be released and honored on Friday
Young Girl To Be Surprised With "Courageous Kid Award" Upon Discharge
What:
10-year-old Diana Herrera, who just survived her bout with a deadly brain tumor, will be released from the Skull Base Institute by the doctor who saved her life. As a complete surprise to Herrera and her parents, Miguel and Elvia Herrera, the youngster will be presented with the "Courageous Kid Award" by the Kid's Cancer Connection, a nonprofit organization that recognizes exceptional courage in the face of adversity. The award will be presented by the nonprofit's founder Steven Firestein, heir to the Max Factor cosmetics empire.
Hrayr Shahinian, M.D., who pioneered the procedure that saved the young girl's life, successfully removed 80 percent of the tumor using a revolutionary technique that he developed. It involves using a micro-instrument known as an endoscope that was inserted through her nasal passage to reach and remove the tumor.
Hererra's plight started at the age of 9 when she began suffering severe headaches and growing intensely light sensitive. After several misdiagnoses, an MRI scan revealed the malignant brain tumor. The young El Paso, Texas resident traveled to Southern California with her parents and three siblings to undergo the revolutionary form of surgery to reach the malignant tumor. Now that the surgery is complete, she begins begin receiving oral chemotherapy -- a much less severe form of treatment than the traditional intravenous method -- to eradicate the remainder of the tumor.
When:
Friday, July 15
1:00 p.m.
Where:
Skull Base Institute
8635 West 3rd Street, Suite 1170W (West Tower)
Los Angeles, California 90048
(310) 691-8888
New Surgery:
Dr. Shahinian has turned the medical community upside down by shunning the traditional craniotomy -- a relatively barbaric procedure that involves making an incision from ear to ear, pulling back the skin to expose the skull, sawing off the top portion to reach the brain and attempting to correct the abnormality in question. Shahinian and his world-class team of surgeons, neurologists, endocrinologists and other medical professionals are able to treat patients using micro-instruments to access the problem areas. To date, Dr. Shahinian has treated more than 2,000 patients using his advanced endoscopic procedure. The result is leading to a paradigm shift in this field of medicine despite some opposition from traditionalists who are holding on to long-established practices and are resistant to change.
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