The past year has been very rough for 24-year-old Shelby Wedlund, but her struggles have given her a reason to believe.
About one year ago, Shelby Wedlund, who lives in Covington, was diagnosed with glioblastoma, a grade four brain tumor.
Her first symptoms, which appeared in May 2009, were pressure in her head and she heard swishing sounds.
Her mother Shawn Wedlund, who lives in Maple Valley, said her daughter was diagnosed and in surgery two days later, May 21, for seven hours. The Swedish medical center neurosurgeon surgeon, Dr. Jayashree Srinivasan, removed a two-inch tumor during the procedure.
The doctor told Shawn Wedlund the tumor had been completely removed, “But she said Shelby would need further treatment.”
The next step for Shelby was the Seattle Cancer Alliance where she was presented with three treatment options. She chose an experimental treatment regimen that included chemotherapy and radiation.
The best news is her last magnetic resonance imaging test, June 7, came back clean.
In March Shelby and her mother found out about the 2010 Seattle Brain Cancer Walk hosted by Accelerate Brain Cancer Cure. The walk is scheduled for Saturday, June 26, at Seattle Center’s Mural Amphitheatre. The walk raises money for research and care of brain cancer patients in the Pacific Northwest.
Shelby formed a team for the walk titled “Believe,” and anyone interested can join the team or donate at the
The Believe team has already raised more than $5,500 for the walk.
“It has been a very rough year,” Shawn Wedlund said. “There’s been a lot of tears and lot of heartache for the past year, but she’s doing great.”
