While COVID-19 has slowed life down for most of us, the family of 4-month-old Zarianna Lewis is grateful for every extra day she is with them.
Zarianna was diagnosed with a Glioblastoma, a malignant grade 4 tumor just before Christmas. Her mother Sasha Lewis, from El Cajon, says she was putting Zarianna to bed when the baby started to have small seizures.
Once at the hospital, doctors delivered devastating news: Zarianna had a huge tumor on the left side of her brain.
"I was distraught," Sasha said. "It was the worst news."
Zarianna has been at Rady Children's Hospital since her diagnosis, with her mom Sasha by her side.
It is a family affair to help take care of Zarianna's three older sisters, Kimari, 12, Novalee, 6, and Taijaa, 1, with Sasha's mom Kim and sister helping care for them. Sasha, a single mother, is no longer working so she can tend to Zarianna and spend every moment she can with her.
Sasha has created a Facebook Page for others to come and talk about their own challenges.
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"It's like a prayer page," Sasha said. "It's just kind of to you to be able to pray for her for everybody else going through something like this."
The tumor on Zarianna's brain is slowly growing larger. The family says doctors can't operate, but the Lewises are hopeful they might find a clinical trial to help keep Sasha around a little while longer.
"She is not to expected to survive," Sasha said.
Sasha's friends and family have put together a fundraiser to help pay for Zarianna's eventual funeral services and to help the family with expenses while Sasha is out of work.
Sasha says, "I wouldn't wish this on anybody."
