ChadTough Defeat DIPG
  • About DIPG
    • DIPG Facts
    • Navigating the Disease
    • Support Resources
    • Tissue Donation
    • What Can One Person Do?
  • About Us
    • The Foundation
    • Chad Carr
    • Michael Mosier
    • Family Partners
    • Our Leaders
    • Financials
    • In the News
  • Research
    • Grants Funded
    • Scientific Advisory Council
    • Grant Application
    • Research News
    • Research Partners
  • Meet the Kids
  • Events
    • Coach Carr Classic
    • RunTough
    • Dream Big Gala
    • Champions for Change Gala
    • Superhero Sprint & 6K
    • Tee’d Off
    • Chicago Golf Outing
  • Ways to Give
    • Monthly Giving Club
    • Host a Fundraiser
    • Volunteer Opportunities
    • CureMaker Partners
    • Give Back Businesses
    • Giving Tuesday
  • Donate
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Youtube
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • 734-707-8732
ChadTough Defeat DIPG
  • About DIPG
    • DIPG Facts
    • Navigating the Disease
    • Support Resources
    • Tissue Donation
    • What Can One Person Do?
  • About Us
    • The Foundation
    • Chad Carr
    • Michael Mosier
    • Family Partners
    • Our Leaders
    • Financials
    • In the News
  • Research
    • Grants Funded
    • Scientific Advisory Council
    • Grant Application
    • Research News
    • Research Partners
  • Meet the Kids
  • Events
    • Coach Carr Classic
    • RunTough
    • Dream Big Gala
    • Champions for Change Gala
    • Superhero Sprint & 6K
    • Tee’d Off
    • Chicago Golf Outing
  • Ways to Give
    • Monthly Giving Club
    • Host a Fundraiser
    • Volunteer Opportunities
    • CureMaker Partners
    • Give Back Businesses
    • Giving Tuesday
  • Donate

Dara Gibson

Homepage Dara Gibson

Dara Gibson

March 31, 2021
By McHale Shelleen
0 Comment
900 Views

Dara Gibson

Dara was a spunky, stubborn, funny little girl with a wonderful imagination. She possessed her own beautiful logic, which drove her older brother crazy. She was diagnosed with brain cancer when she was just three years old.

The first signs of obvious illness came the day after Christmas 2017. While away from home, Dara became so sick that her pediatrician recommended the family visit an urgent care center before driving three hours back to their home in Maryland. Urgent Care sent the family to the ER, the ER sent them to Children’s Hospital in Pittsburgh.  The Children’s Hospital determined that Dara’s symptoms and high fever had developed from a scraped knee and an inflamed appendix.  After treating her for a leg infection and removing her appendix, the family left, thinking the worst was over.

Over the next six weeks, although her cellulitis was healed, she was upset, bothered, and afraid, leaving her family baffled. On President’s Day of 2018, the family was dealt the worse news imaginable – Dara had a brain tumor.

Dara Gibson

“We had taken her to the doctor because she started walking like a drunk person. The next day, we found out the prognosis, and our world flipped over,” said Dara’s mom Lauren.

The family’s community and church rallied around them, helping to get them through the initial radiation treatment.

“Weeks 2 and 3 were the worst,” said Lauren. “The steroids and the radiation and the tumor itself were really tough on her small body. I questioned why we were doing this. Over time, though, she felt better. All symptoms disappeared, and she was happy. The four of us- Dara, my husband, Dan, and our older son Sam- enjoyed a wonderful summer as a family. We went to Disney World, and she met Elsa and Anna!”

Dara enrolled in an immunotherapy trial, but before the cells were ready to be reintroduced, they discovered that the tumor was growing back. It was the day after Halloween, All Saints’ Day. The MRI was showing progression before her symptoms caught up, catching the family by surprise.

Dara unsuccessfully tried a chemotherapy trial for a month. She was exhausted and increasingly symptomatic. Over the Christmas and New Years’ holidays, one year after diagnosis, Dara had another round of radiation, experiencing different symptoms and side effects than the first time around.

While their journey was heartbreaking and hard, it was also, at times, joyous.

“Our friends, family, coworkers, and church have supported our family in incredible, loving ways the entire time without pause, as has Defeat DIPG. Thank you all for enabling the time we had with our daughter to be as stress-free as possible given the circumstances. She was clearly loved by many.

Dara passed away on March 30, 2019.


Previous Story
Vivienne Finn
Next Story
Jack Overton

ChadTough Defeat DIPG

$
Would you like to help cover the processing fees?
Dedicate this Donation

Honoree Details

Notification Details

255 Characters left

Notification Details

255 Characters left

Select Payment Method
Personal Info

Credit Card Info
This is a secure SSL encrypted payment.

Donation Total: $50.00 One Time

{amount} donation plus {fee_amount} to help cover fees.

About DIPG

  • DIPG Facts
  • Navigating the Disease
  • Tissue Donation

Research

  • Grants Funded
  • Scientific Advisory Council
  • Grant Application
  • Research News

Get Involved

  • Monthly Giving Club
  • Sponsorship Opportunities
  • CureMaker Partners
  • Volunteer Opportunities
  • Give Back Businesses
  • What Can One Person Do?
  • Donate
ChadTough Defeat DIPG Foundation
  • Phone: 734-707-8732
  • P.O. Box 907 Saline, MI 48176
  • Copyright ©2020 ChadTough
ChadTough Defeat DIPG Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Our federal tax ID number is 47-4041494.
  • Privacy Policy
A Letter to You

SearchPostsLogin
Friday, 12, Aug
Could CBD Help Treat DIPG?
Monday, 18, Jul
Dr. Mark Souweidane: A Lifelong Mission
Wednesday, 13, Jul
$10K Donated in Honor of Payton Slaymaker
Friday, 17, Jun
$20 Million Committed to Research Worldwide
Thursday, 12, May
MY DIPG NAVIGATOR PROGRAM
Thursday, 28, Apr
May is Brain Tumor Awareness Month

Welcome back,