CLEVELAND — Halloween is a special day for many kids, but it was extra special this year for one teen who rang in the holiday in costume to mark her last day of treatment at Cleveland Clinic Children's.
Addie Mae Messinger, a 13-year-old who has spent the last 14 months in chemotherapy treatment for an inoperable brain tumor, celebrated her last day Thursday by ringing the hospital's "bravery bell." And she did it while dressed as one of her favorite Disney villains: Cruella De Vil, from "101 Dalmatians."
Heather Messinger, Addie Mae's mother, said Addie Mae is happy to finish her treatment and that she will miss her care team at Cleveland Clinic Children's "so much."
"It's just exciting to know that she’s going back to being Addie Mae," Heather Messinger said, "and not Addie Mae who is on chemo."
Addie Mae was diagnosed with Neuro fiber mitosis about a year and a half ago, Cleveland Clinic said. Because the tumor was in a spot of her brain that doctors could not biopsy, her care team decided to treat it with chemo.
14 months later, she marked the end of treatment in her finest Cruella garb, surrounded by her nurses, family and friends dressed as Dalmatians. While there weren't quite 101 of them, the hospital said even its facility dog, Kid, donned spots for the occasion.
Heather Messinger said the milestone is an exciting moment for her daughter and for her whole family.
“I think it’s just finding our new normal. Everybody has gone through chemo. Addie does the treatments but her brother and sister have had to miss things," she said. "Just feeling like we are back to normal is the biggest thing we are looking forward to."
