By: Ashley Source
The Diagnosis
To look at Harlie Bryant, you would not think she is sick. Her eyes have a youthful sparkle, and her mouth a mischievous grin. And according to her mom, Lisa, Harlie is full of life and 6-year-old sass.
But when Harlie had a routine eye exam to begin kindergarten last year, the Bryant family received news they never expected.
The optometrist noticed Harlie had rapid eye movement, a condition she had endured for a few years, but it was the continuation of which was cause for concern. Two days later Harlie saw an ophthalmologist, who suggested a CT scan.
The Bryants received the call on April Fool’s Day, but the news was no joke. The ophthalmologist told the Bryants that their daughter had a brain tumor directly behind her eyes that was the size of a softball.
Harlie was immediately sent to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital for the first of many MRIs.
“I knew that day that our child was the strongest, most brave person I had ever met,” Lisa said. “Once she was sedated for her MRI, walking away from her was almost unbearable.”
When the Bryants saw Harlie’s MRI, they were shocked to see a tumor consuming half of her brain. The tumor, an astrocytoma, or what Harlie refers to as “The Brain Booger,” was enclosed in Harlie’s optical nerve, affecting her carotid artery and hypothalamus.
Doctors determined the first step in her treatment was to attempt to remove the tumor. After more than 10 hours in surgery, Harlie’s doctor was only able to remove about 20 percent because of its location.
Chemotherapy was step two. Now, after one year of chemo, the tumor has not gotten smaller. But the doctor is just happy that it has not gotten any bigger.
Just a few weeks ago, Harlie’s doctor determined to forgo chemotherapy after an MRI still showed no change in the tumor. Harlie will undergo proton radiation therapy next summer, which will give her an 80 percent change of survival.
Live Day by Day
For the Bryants, the last year has been difficult. Chemo has drastically weakened Harlie’s immune system, making her very susceptible to illness.
The Bryants learned to adapt for Harlie’s sake. They spent Harlie’s birthday in a hospital room. Christmas was celebrated alone at their house, no family allowed for risk of infection. Harlie’s dream of playing sports was out. And if she was even able to go outside, she wore a mask to protect her.
“It’s hard to tell your kid no so much,” Jamie, Harlie’s father, said. “I hate that she hasn’t been able to be a kid.”
Lisa says Harlie has grown up way too much in just one year.
“Harlie doesn’t play with Barbies,” Lisa said. “She plays doctor with access ports and blood pressure.”
And it is spending so much time in the hospital that has helped Harlie develop awareness for the amount of sick children in the world. Jamie and Lisa say that Harlie worries more about the other sick kids rather than herself.
“We learned never to plan the future,” Lisa said. “We try to live day by day. Enjoy every moment.”
Harlie missed out on kindergarten last year after the tumor was discovered. This year, because her doctors have decided to stop the chemo since the tumor was not shrinking, Harlie started her first year of school and loves it. Already in trouble once for talking in the hallway, Harlie is a normal, vibrant 6-year-old again.
Other students have asked her about her brain tumor and asked, “What’s a tumor?”
Harlie simply tells them, “I don’t know. It’s in my head.”
“She’s been amazing through all of this,” Lisa said. “She takes it like a champ.”
A Community of Support
Harlie’s brother, Colby, 17, is the epitome of a big brother. He and Harlie tease each other like typical siblings, but love each other just as much.
While he admits the tumor has changed the lives of his family, he believes it has brought them much closer together. And he says the community has been “such a blessing.”
While receiving chemo over the last year, Harlie had a homebound teacher, Mary Tierney. The Bryants grew very close to Mary and her husband Jason, who eventually purchased HopeForHarlie.org, allowing the community to support Harlie and her recovery, while taking away the burden from Lisa and Jamie.
Hope For Harlie has held countless fundraisers and benefits to help the Bryants with expensive medical costs and long stays in Cincinnati for Harlie’s treatments.
Most recently, Hope For Harlie had a tent at the Big O Music Fest, where they sold t-shirts and Hope For Harlie gear.
Harlie, who loves country music, was excited for the event. A Hope For Harlie Twitter follower tweeted headliner Blake Shelton, asking him to meet Harlie. Within a few hours the request had been re-tweeted over 8,000 times, getting the attention of none other than Blake Shelton.
At the concert not only did Blake Shelton meet Harlie, but he also saved a special spot for her just below the stage where he sang a couple of songs just to her.
“She was a superstar that night,” Lisa said. “People wanted her autograph.”
Jamie said it was incredible to see Harlie’s impact on the crowd at the concert. People all around were emotionally affected by Harlie’s story, bringing more awareness to not only Hope For Harlie, but
for childhood cancer.
Hope For Harlie
To help support Harlie or keep up with her story, visit HopeForHarlie.org. The Bryant family wants everyone to know how much they appreciate the support for their daughter. September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Harlie is just one of thousands of courageous children fighting pediatric cancer.