Cobb County Elementary School staff surprise 11-year-old battling an aggressive brain cancer

ROSWELL, Ga. - An 11-year-old Georgia girl battling aggressive brain cancer was surprised with a visit from staff at her old school. 

Lillian Callahan has been learning from home since her diagnosis and due to the pandemic. 

Lillian just thought someone would be stopping by with gifts, but instead, she opened the door to a group of teachers and staff from Garrison Mill Elementary School.

"She got the whole school there. That touched my heart so much," Lillian said. 

Lillian is your typical 11-year-old, a sixth-grader full of spirit and personality. 

But her journey over the last two years sets her apart from her peers. 

In 2019, she had a seizure at school. 

Her parents took her to the hospital and learned there was something in her brain. 

"They said there's mass in the right frontal lobe," said Erin Callahan, Lillian's mother. 

They soon learned it was a tumor. She says her daughter was active and never showed any symptoms before the seizure. 

"They did the biopsy but weren't sure if it was a grade 3 or grade 4. Most of it ended up being grade 3, which is anaplastic astrocytoma," Erin Callahan said. 

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It's an aggressive brain cancer without a known cure. 

"One day you feel like everything is going fine and the next day you feel like your heart got ripped out of your chest," said Michael Callahan, her father. 

Since September 2019, Lillian has undergone proton therapy, a vaccine trial and is now a part of a clinical trial.

Because there isn't a cure and not a lot of research on brain tumors in children, the Callahan's have forged their own path. 

They even traveled to Buffalo, NY for a vaccine trial at the Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center. 

"It's hard because it's not a thing that's definitive like, you're going to be out for 6 to 8 weeks, and then you'll be fine again," Erin Callahan said. 

The couple says defeat is not an option. 

"You're essentially throwing a dart at a dartboard and essentially hoping that you hit the bull's eye on one," Michael Callahan said. 

Despite it all, you'll hear no complaints from Lillian, who is still her bubbly self. She said she misses being at school with her friends and can't wait to play softball again. 

The family created the hashtag #LilliStrong, so others can show their support. 

They are also supporters of organizations like the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation, which offers resources for kids like Lillian, but also fund research.  

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