A University of Georgia student diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor is fighting to survive — and daily prayers give her the strength to keep going, her mother said.
Lisa Burke, 21, suffered a brain hemorrhage while on vacation in Mexico on March 10 — and was airlifted to the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida where she was receiving treatment.
After a biopsy, doctors confirmed that Burke had grade 4 glioma, a malignant and dangerous tumor located in the brainstem and growing rapidly. The young lady started Immediate radiotherapy.
Lisa’s mother is Laura McKeithen told DailyMail.com that doctors had “the talk.” She prepares it for the worst, but her daughter miraculously fights back.
In Mexico, the doctor said they would take her out of anesthesia to see if there was any brain activity. ‘They expected nothing and they set me up for it,’ said McKeithen, ‘and then Lisa moved on purpose and we were all stunned…completely elated.’
Lisa Burke, 21, suffered a brain hemorrhage while on vacation in Mexico on March 10 – and was airlifted to the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida where she was receiving treatment
Lisa’s family surrounds her with love at her bedside at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida
Lisa and her mother, Laura McKeithen, smile
Lisa Burke, pictured right, suffered a massive brain hemorrhage while on a spring break trip to Mexico
They prepared me here for several worst case scenarios. It’s very annoying but I understand why they have to. So far, thank God, we haven’t run into anything, McKeithen said.
Burke undergoes daily radiation therapy that will continue for the next few weeks.
Lisa’s mother said the biggest concern at the moment is her daughter’s respiratory system while radiation appears to be working.
Doctors reassured her that her daughter was progressing exactly as expected.
“Lisa holds her own,” she said, describing her as a sleeping beauty/warrior princess.
McKeithen has been giving DailyMail.com regular updates on her daughters’ condition. She also shared how grateful she is for the healing prayers and outpouring of support.
I think it’s a combination of Lisa’s strength and will along with the prayers and support of so many people around the world who are sending her healing energy. I know it filled me with hope.
Later this week, her daughter is due to have another MRI that she said will give them more information about her prognosis.
My faith in her and in God. She is a fighter and in God’s grace. We expect miracles here.
McKeithen describes her daughter as fearless. The day before her cerebral hemorrhage, McKeithen said Lisa was jumping off cliffs and enjoying a boat ride and a bonfire.
Lisa’s mother Laura McKeithen writes on GoFundMe that if you feel pushed to send a message of encouragement, please send Lisa’s attention at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville.
Lisa and her boyfriend take a picture together during their spring break trip to Mexico
McKeithen told DailyMail.com that her daughter began complaining around 2019 — around the time she started college — of headaches and times of dizziness.
Lisa said maybe four times, “I think something is wrong with my head,” and three times she told me she felt like she was going to faint.
But, like most college students, McKeithen believed it was caused by lack of sleep and stress from her studies.
I assumed she was just a 20-year-old with a lot of stress. The way she said it – it was never a plea… it never seemed like there was an urgency.
The day before she had a brain hemorrhage, her mother said her daughter was in Cabo San Lucas with her boyfriend, his brothers, and their girlfriends and other friends.
They would go cliff diving, enjoy boat rides and have a campfire later at night. “She was feeling really good and sent me a picture of herself with her hands up,” the mother recalled.
The next day, she developed a severe headache after finishing a workout in the gym. McKeithen said she told her boyfriend she was going to take a nap. When he returned to check on her a few hours later, he was unable to wake her up and rushed her to the hospital.
When she received the distressing news about her daughter, doctors told her that they had placed an Ebola virus line in her brain to drain the fluid — but also told her that they weren’t sure how much brain damage she’d suffered.
McKeithen hopped on the first plane to Cabo San Lucas as her daughter was having some heart problems.
A chain of events that pushes many roadblocks took Lisa out of Mexico and to the Mayo Clinic in Florida.
The air medical ambulance was unable to reach Mexico to ferry her daughter via plane because the airport in San Diego was closed because President Biden was in town.
McKeithen has been racing against the clock to get her daughter the immediate, lifesaving medical care she needs.
You can’t make this up. It was crazy. I have friends who have had to call their friends who work for the FAA who managed to get the plane off the ground.
“My faith is in her and in God,” Lisa’s mother said. She is a fighter and in God’s grace. We expect miracles here.
Her friends called an ambulance after she complained of a headache and wouldn’t get up from a nap
When Burke first arrived at the Mayo Clinic, her mother said she responded once the sedatives wore off — pulling the tube away from her mouth and moving her fingers — but after a few days she had a relapse and was no longer responsive.
Last week, when the radiation kicked in, she started taking some steps by wiggling her toes and squeezing the doctor’s hands.
Over the past few days, other responses have included raising an eyebrow and puckering her lips when her mother asked her for a kiss.
And on Tuesday night, McKeithen said Lisa raised her eyebrows to the doctor this morning and did a little wiggling of her toes during the day.
“This week is going to feel like a turbulence but trust that you are on your way to your destination,” said McKeithen, a great friend. Lisa’s lovers clung on. Here we come miracles.
