The fight of her life

An ever-smiling Valentina has undergone radiation treatments to shrink her brain tumor. She will undergo an MRI on Jan. 12 to check the status of the tumor.

Courtesy Bravin family

When a person is diagnosed with a serious medical condition at any age it is devastating news for his or her friends and family. But when the parents of a four-year-old receive word that their child has an inoperable brain tumor, it’s earth shattering.

Unfortunately, that’s exactly what Farmingdale residents Erik and Cristina Bravin were told on July 21. Their daughter, Valentina, was diagnosed with Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG), a tumor located in the middle of the brain stem, leaving the Bravin’s with a limited amount of treatment options to explore.

“It’s shocking,” Cristina said of the diagnosis. “There was a lot of anger and asking ‘Why us?” She added, “Nobody ever wants to hear anything negative about their child, let alone when they basically give her a death sentence.”

To help the Bravin’s with mounting medical and travel expenses, several fundraisers have been held in Valentina’s name including one at the Lynbrook VFW last November. Valentina’s aunt and uncle, Gina and Frank Orosz of Lynbrook, planned the event. It was attended by approximately 170 people and raised $26,000. There have also been fundraisers held in Valentina’s hometown of Farmingdale.

The Bravins didn’t waste any time to see what the possible routes of treatment were. “We basically went into search mode,” Cristina said. “We were researching every factor and treatment possible around the country and around the world.”

Their research led them to Houston, Texas where Valentina underwent 30 radiation treatments for six consecutive weeks at MB Anderson Cancer Center. The procedures started on Aug. 18 and ended Oct. 3.

Valentina, who turned five on New Year’s Eve, has been brave throughout her fight with DIPG according to her mom. “She’s a fighter,” Cristina said. “She doesn’t do things willingly, but when she does eventually comply with anything that doctors and nurses have to do she’s very tough.” Cristina said that the radiation treatment did shrink the tumor by 50 percent, but those results are usually temporary.