Prior Lake student has surgery for third brain tumor hours after graduation

SAVAGE, Minn. (FOX 9) - Brooklynne Thorson, 18, graduated from Prior Lake High School in June. Just hours after getting her diploma, Thorson was scheduled for brain surgery.

Brain tumor at 12 years old

The backstory:

This is her third time being diagnosed with a brain tumor. At the start of middle school, Brooklyne learned she had a brain tumor at the age of 12. In high school, she was diagnosed with another tumor. Now as she plans for college, she has been diagnosed with yet another brain tumor. 

Since her interview with FOX9, she received devastating news. Her tumor morphed into high-grade cells. She will have to go through seven weeks of radiation and two years of chemo. 

A typical 12-year-old

What we know:

Brooklynne was your typical 12-year-old. She has a bright personality, has always been a good student and has always loved to compete. To her family, everything seemed normal. 

If you ask Brooklynne’s mother to walk you through her journey, she’d have a tough time. 

"Sorry, it’s just so hard to go back," Holly said, tearing up before talking about it. 

Brooklynne’s family said she’d complain of headaches when she was younger, but what triggered concern was what happened to her at school.

One day, Brooklynne told her mom she asked one of her friends if her eyes were open. 

"I asked her, did you just have blurry vision? What’s going on? Can you tell me about it? And she couldn’t quite explain it at 12 and that’s what made it hard," Holly said. 

They went to the doctor but were told Brooklynne was going through puberty and some of the changes she’d been experiencing were normal changes. 

"She was complaining of headaches and it would be on the way to gymnastics practice. And three days a week, she would say to me on the way to practice, mom I have a headache," Holly said. "And it would just be a casual conversation. She would take a few ibuprofens or Tylenol on the way, and she wouldn't say anything after that."

Things began to get progressively worse. Brooklynne had a hard time seeing things that were once visible to her. Her vision became blurry.  

"A gymnastics beam is four inches and to me it looked like it was the size of a spaghetti noodle," Brooklynne said.

She described another scary experience at school.

"I was walking and all of a sudden, the room just went black and I didn't know where I was. It just went dark. I was like my eyes are open, why can't I see anything?" Brooklyne said.

Her eyesight went from 20/20 to 20/100, so Brooklynne’s parents decided to take her to the eye doctor. 

"I immediately knew something was wrong. Nurses were coming in and out. I was texting my husband nonstop, just saying something's wrong," Holly said. "In my head, it just doesn't seem right because she looked like she does now but younger. She was just normal. She was doing gymnastics. She was a competitive gymnast. And before I could think of anything else, he told me, we've already called the ambulance."

The start to a long journey

Dig deeper:

Brooklynne went through a 10-hour surgery at the age of 12.

"We were told that she would be in the hospital I think for seven to 10 days, and she was out in 47 hours," Holly said.

Brooklynne was determined to get back to the gymnastics floor. She had a meet in two months, and she didn’t want to miss it. 

"I just was like no, I need to get out of here and I was determined," Brooklynne said. 

And she did just that. Brooklynne’s doctor cleared her to return under heavy restrictions after 10 days. Because of her determination, Brooklynne was back in the gym on day 14. 

"Fourteen days after surgery, I walk into the gym and I open the door and I look and a car is pulling up and she gets out of the car. I'm like, oh, Brooklynne's here to say hi to everybody. That's awesome," Maddie Bohn, Brooklynne’s longtime gymnastics coach said. "So, she walks into the gym and she pulls up, puts on her Leo. And she's like, I'm ready to practice. And we're like, what?"

Brooklynne then competed a few months after surgery and qualified for state on her first meet back. Not only did she qualify, but she placed 4th in state. 

"She's not a complainer. She was very good at hiding everything," Bohn said. "There are some people that are just so coachable and she is one of those kids."

As if she hadn’t gone through enough, before starting high school, Brooklynne was diagnosed with another brain tumor. This time, it was benign. 

"It's terrifying as a family to have to deal with it again," Holly said. "It's just, you feel like it's a race against time. She's amazing. She doesn't take no for an answer. She doesn't let anything stop her. She keeps the same positive attitude every single day, regardless of her situation."

But sometimes, even the toughest people have the hardest days. 

"I turned to my mom the night before because I couldn't sleep. And I asked her if I was going to die," Brooklynne said. 

"I remember she asked that and I instantly looked at her and I said, ‘No, you're going to fight with everything you have and I'm going to fight here right with you,’" her mom responded. 

Brooklynne had a second surgery. And when she went in for her 6 ½ year scan, doctors told her there was a 30-percent chance the first tumor could come back.

"The doctors came in and looked at us and said we found some concerning findings back in her original brain tumor spot."

Planning the future

Big picture view:

"It makes me think that I have a bigger purpose in life and that's why I'm still here," Brooklynne said.

Despite what she has gone through and what she is going through currently, Brooklynne is planning her future.

"We talked about Mankato, Eau Claire, Madison, and Iowa and I’m going to Eau Claire," Brooklyn said to a woman at her graduation party, while explaining her college decision. 

She wants to be a pediatric nurse to help kids just like her. 

Despite her medical diagnosis, Brooklynne has maintained good grades in school as an honor student. She said most people, like some of her classmates and teachers, are unaware of her journey. 

"Seeing that live reaction of someone when they know you're going through it right now is the hardest thing," Brooklynne said. "But when you're telling them after, I just kind of like laugh about it so then they don't always think it's super serious, which I don't know if I should do that but it's just how I handle it."

Brooklynne handles it with a smile. She said she tries to always uplift people no matter what she is going through. She never wants anyone to worry. And one way to avoid that, is by making jokes and staying positive.

But since she is older now and has a different perspective than her first brain tumor at the age of 12, she tends to think about how different this diagnosis could be.

"I was so positive the first time and I was resilient and was so determined. It almost feels like a pressure to do it again and that kind of scares me because I'm like, what if I'm not the same as I was the first time and people are expecting me to be doing everything I did, but what if it's not the same this time?"

A letter from Maggie Nichols

Why you should care:

Brooklynne’s favorite gymnast is Maggie Nichols. She has watched her compete through the years and witnessed her injuries that never seemed to keep her out of competitions for too long. 

"That’s what really stood out to me and I was like, oh wow, look at her. She just had surgery and look what she's doing."

Brooklynne remembers meeting Maggie Nichols and has always admired her work and spirit. 

"When I was in the hospital she wrote me a really nice letter with my picture on it. It's framed in my room to this day and telling me my strength and how she remembered me because I looked up to her so much because she also went through different injuries that set her back and that inspired me that maybe I can get through this too."

Here’s what the letter says:

"What you are going through right now is all part of God's plan for you, and he knows you are strong enough to handle it. Through this hard time, you need to remember that so many people are behind you, praying, loving, and caring for you. Everyone will be behind you every step of the way. You are so incredibly strong and courageous, and will get through any obstacle you may face through this journey. You, my sweet girl, can do anything you put your mind to.

Brooklynne keeps the letter in her room. She has also kept every hospital bracelet she has ever had. It serves as a reminder of her strength. 

Someone else who has helped her stay strong is her dog. 

"She's my sign of hope that it's going to be okay because she's going through it with me."

Brooklynne named her dog after her favorite gymnast. Her name is Nichols. The thought of having a dog was perfect for this family and all of the signs seemed to point in the right direction. 

Nichols’ birthday is the same day of the anniversary of Brooklynne’s first brain tumor. Although Nichols has helped Brooklynne through tough times, she has fallen on her own. 

Nichols has cancer. 

"She has lymphoma in her liver, her neck, and her legs," Brooklynne explained. "And so, she only has a few months left, which has been really hard because it's this dog I worked so hard for. It just makes life feel unreal. Because what do you mean my dog's dying? I have a third tumor and I'm graduating. It’s just like, how is that fair? And it makes me wonder, why did I go through this?"

Nichols has not only comforted Brooklynne, but the entire Thorson family. Brooklynne’s sister, Harper, is having a hard time after learning the news. 

"I don't know how I'm going to live without her because it's really hard for me and she's the reason that has kept me going," Brooklynne’s younger sister, Harper Thorson, said as she cried. "And so, it's hard to look at her and be like, this is the only reason I'm still going on with life. And that's been really hard. And now I'm hearing about Brooklynne. It's been harder because there's the two that, besides my mom, have kept me growing in life." 

It seems like this family can’t catch a break. Their future is unknown, but they have their greatest gifts, which are each other. They also have the strength that has gotten them through everything else. 

Brooklynne is in really good spirits. Since her interview with FOX9, she received devastating news. Her tumor morphed into high grade cells. She will have to go through seven weeks of radiation and two years of chemo. 

What's next:

Brooklynne is still planning to attend the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire in the fall and her team of doctors are optimistic she’ll be able to do so. 

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