ST. LOUIS – It was Sept. 12 of this year. Madi Beuligmann took a few minutes to absorb the shock of her diagnosis.
“She cried for 30 minutes," said Mike Beuligmann, her father. "And then after that she was positive the whole rest of the three weeks. Even when she was told she would have a second surgery.”
Madi, a 6th-grader at Holy Cross Academy in Webster Groves, had a tumor in her brain the size of a tennis ball.
“I just thought I was going to lose all my coordination," said Madi.
Doctors removed the thalamic tumor just days after it was found. However, the entire process was still incredibly scary, and, rightfully so, it was also hard news for Madi's mother Ellen.
“We were in shock … Yeah, that’s a hard diagnosis to absorb," she said.
But Madi, who is passionate about softball and basketball, used her passion for sports as her primary motivation to overcome her scary disease.
“It’s very important because I was just thinking like I’ll be okay if I can get back to sports, so, yeah, and I’m okay now!" said Madi.
“She truly handled this better than a 12-year-old should handle something of this caliber. And we feel so lucky and blessed," said Ellen.
What really amazed doctors was how quickly Madi bounced back post-op. She returned to the basketball court just four weeks following the removal of her tumor and entered her first game just eight weeks after leaving the hospital.
“My doctor said I was resilient, and I like that," said Madi. “I was happy that I still had my coordination.”
Madi's parents were just as pleasantly surprised.
“I would guess most people wouldn’t know that there was someone playing who’s had two surgeries like she just had," said Ellen.
“All of the sports teams she is on, they, also, really rallied behind Madi. She felt the strength of all of them as she went through her surgeries, her recovery, all of that. She had friends texting her telling her she was brave and strong and could do it. So, we felt very loved while we were in here.”
“Madi’s been amazing. Her spirit, she has said, the whole time she was in the hospital, she said 'Mom,' even to mike, ‘As long as I can give back to sports, I can do this.’”
So, go ahead, ask Madi how she feels now.
“Amazing," said the 12-year-old.
And don’t be afraid to ask how she encourages other kids to rebound from cancer.
“Stay strong and whatever they want to come back to, just be determined to that, and ya… I think that will help them get through it," said Madi.
