Sydney
Sydney Beth was born April 27, 1994 and passed away February 1, 2006. She is survived by her parents, Brian and Maryann; and her sister, Margo. In January 2005, Sydney was diagnosed with a “diffuse intrinsic brainstem glioma,” which is an aggressive, inoperable form of brain tumor. In March that same year, Sydney completed 31 radiation treatments and entered a simultaneous clinical trial with Iressa. In June, she left the clinical trail after extreme nausea and weight loss. Sydney maintained her weight without a feeding tube since the end of August. However, in September, an MRI showed new tumor growth, and by early October Sydney started chemotherapy with chloretazine.
Sydney’s parents described her as “a creative 11-year-old who loved to do crafts. She enjoyed music and loved to sing, dance and act. Sydney was a very gregarious person. Even at such a young age, she had a unique ability to read people and empathize. She was quite witty and clever. She was great with young children and looked forward to being a babysitter. Sydney had always strived to be an independent person. She was an experienced camper and hiker, and prior to diagnosis she played soccer for six years, was an accomplished swimmer, and was just getting her feet wet playing water polo. She really enjoyed water sports!”
Sydney’s parents would like to thank Seattle Children’s Hospital for “their attentive care,” and the Make-A-Wish Foundation for a seven-day Caribbean cruise. They also would like to acknowledge the Friends Helping Friends foundation, which organized a fund-raising auction for Sydney.