Nicole and Mike Giroux feel blessed in many ways.  They have a smart, athletic son Braden, 11, and a beautiful, magnetic daughter, Lila, who will turn 9 in June.  They have a renewed strength in their faith and deep purpose to their lives.  They are grateful for every part of the journey they have been on for the better of seven years.  And, given what they have been through over that span, that is nothing short of a resilient miracle.

The journey started with the birth of Lila “Bean” Giroux on June 11, 2008.  Lila burst into the world with energy and charisma and immediately transformed the Giroux family forever.  Over the course of the next year, Braden adapted to the presence of his new baby sister and the family settled into a normal life with a family of four.

A Twist in the Road

But in Lila’s first year, Nicole and Mike noticed that she was experiencing some developmental delays. She had low muscle tone and was having trouble walking and keeping her balance.  Her right hand was always in a fist and she experienced bouts of rapid breathing. On September 25, 2009, after a few trips back and forth to the pediatrician, the Giroux’s brought Lila to Children’s National Medical Center for a CAT Scan.  The scan revealed a “mass” in Lila’s brain.  The doctors performed an immediate biopsy.

Two days later, the official results came back. Lila had inoperable, metastatic brain cancer.  Life would never be the same for the Giroux family.

The Battle Is On!

Pediatric brain cancer.  It’s hard to see those words in print.  It’s even harder to say those words out loud.  But that was the reality of the situation for the Giroux Family.  And they all knew what they had to do.  It was time to go into battle.

They found a caring and compassionate champion in Dr. Brian Rood, Lila’s neuro-oncologist at Children’s National Medical Center.  He diagnosed Lila with grade “2-plus” brain cancer.  Since it was such a special case (not quite stage 2, not quite stage 3), Dr. Rood exuded confidence in the course of treatment and encouraged the Giroux’s to view Lila’s case as unique and individual.

Over the next 11 months, Lila endured 10 rounds of excruciating chemotherapy.  She made it for the treatments through driving snowstorms and endured multiple needles, exams and MRI’s.  And through it all, she never stopped fighting.  She never gave up.  And she instilled the entire Giroux Family with strength they never thought possible.

At the end of the 10-month treatment, Lila went on a maintenance oral chemotherapy, but, unfortunately, the next MRI scan revealed a separate cancerous spot. So yet another course of toxic chemotherapy was started.

After some time, the MRI showed here was no additional growth.  But then shortly thereafter, yet another spot appeared.  And so it goes with Lila’s battle.

Lila remained in good spirits throughout the journey.  But how much more could she and her family take?

A Renewed Faith

Lila remained unshaken but Nicole and Mike were growing weary with the agony and uncertainty of each new spot and treatment.  It was a roller coaster ride of the worst kind.

During their darkest time, Nicole and Mike were introduced to Father Dan Leary of St. Andrew the Apostle Parish.  Father Dan and Lila formed an immediate connection. With his support and direction, the Giroux Family has been blessed with a renewed spirit. Most importantly, they realized they were not in control of this disease. And that was actually OKAY.

It became a matter of faith.

This 5-year journey with Father Dan culminated in January of 2017, when Mike, Nicole and Lila went on a pilgrimage with Father Dan to the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the most visited Catholic pilgrimage site in the world. Here, they found a sense of peace.

But throughout the journey, Mike and Nicole learned to trust in what Father Dan described as the “Sacrament of the Present Moment”. In other words, Father Dan felt it was important to view every day as a gift.  The Giroux Family must appreciate every second on this earth and every second with each other.  The battle was no longer something that they would simply endure.

When you don’t know what tomorrow brings, it makes it so much easier to enjoy today!

Driven By Purpose

With this renewed faith came a renewed purpose.  Nicole and Mike realized that more was needed in terms of research for pediatric brain cancer.  Over 4,000 children a year are diagnosed with this deadly disease and the treatments are largely experimental and underfunded.

Nicole had a background in event planning.   And now she had a mission.  There must be a purpose to Lila’s suffering!

That purpose was manifested in the formation of the Lilabean Foundation for Pediatric Brain Cancer Research. In the summer of 2012, the Lilabean Foundation kicked off their first fundraiser with a backyard bar-b-que raising over $20,000.  Today, the Lilabean Foundation has donated over $450,00 to the Brain Tumor Institute at Children’s National Medical Center.

Lila’s battle, like all those battling this illness, has not been fought in vain.  There is a purpose to the suffering!

Where Are We Now?

In 2014, a MRI revealed yet another spot on Lila’s brain.  The Giroux’s were fortunate to have access to a groundbreaking trial drug.  Lila received this oral treatment twice a day for two years.  She had to wake up to take her pills at 2:30am every morning during that time.  But the experimental drug worked—it stabilized her disease.

On March 1, 2016, Lila got to ring the Completion of Treatment Bell in the Oncology Clinic at Children’s National Medical Center!

Lila has remained off of any treatment for the past 14 months, which is the longest stretch of time she has ever been off of chemotherapy over her entire 8- year journey.

Now that is something to celebrate!

Lila’s battle is not over.  With a disease like this, you can never spike the ball and declare victory.  But there is so much hope for the future.  And there is so much hope in the lives of every other child and family going through the same battle.

Lila remains a resilient wonder, full of energy and optimism.  And through all the struggles, all the late-nights and all the heartbreaking moments, Nicole and Mike wouldn’t change a thing.  They have a renewed faith.  They have a definitive purpose.  They have two beautiful children.  They try to appreciate every moment they have together.  And they have gratitude for the journey they are on!

What Does It Mean For Us?

Nicole and Mike will be the first ones to tell you that they are not heroic.  There are so many other families going through the same type of tragedy and so many others that have suffered more.  But their healthy perspective provides a barometer for resilience in all of us.

How many of us live in the present and cherish every moment we have together?  How many of us passionately pursue our purpose and attack our goals?  How many of us understand we can’t control everything and have faith that things will still turn out okay?  Regardless of our circumstances, how many of us are grateful for our journey?

Our path will not always be smooth.  Everyone faces some type of battle.  In troubled times, it is difficult to see past our struggles.   But everyone has the ability to overcome these hardships and positively impact this world.  We must fight to keep our perspective and keep moving forward at all times.

Stay focused.  Find your motivation.  Dream about tomorrow.

And never underestimate the power of resilience! 

The Giroux Family will always keep battling.  And so will all of us!

Until next week, keep smiling!

May is Brain Cancer Awareness Month.  For more on this and Lila’s story of courage, please visit www.lilabeanfoundation.com