SUPER GIRL: Nuclear technology has saved Jadyn Schill's life

For me, this remarkable close-to-home story qualifies under the category "You learn something new every day!"

Jadyn Schill, 14, is known as "Super-Girl" at Sick Kids’ Hospital in Toronto for her bravery in an ongoing, nine-year battle with cancer.

JADYN SCHILL
"I'm going to kick cancer in the butt!"

Having undergone the maximum radiation treatments that can be given to an individual and several years of chemotherapy, Jadyn recently underwent a technology known as Gamma Knife surgery. The technique uses High Specific Activity Cobalt 60 that will be harvested from nearby Bruce Power's nuclear reactors next year.  The non-invasive surgery concentrates on tumors, sparing the surrounding healthy brain tissue, killing cancer cells and shrinking tumors in a precise and powerful method that results in little after effects.

First diagnosed when she was five years old, her mother Christie took her to the hospital when she lost movement in the left side of her face. She was first diagnosed with Bell’s Palsy, but after an MRI, a tumour was found. She was subsequently diagnosed with Ependymoma, a rare brain cancer.

Jadyn’s mom says the teenager doesn’t really remember her life before cancer.  Despite this, Jadyn remains positive about her future.  “I just want to go to school like a normal kid,” she told the CBC last year. “...And try to get back into sports. I used to play soccer really well.”

Now, thanks to Gamma Knife Surgery, she's going to "kick" cancer just like she kicked that soccer ball.

View the following video to get a better feeling for Jadyn's story and her chance at a new life.