Her father, Jon Holden, said after she began suffering from painful headaches, her condition was diagnosed in February 2014.

“What was happening was the tumor was cutting off the spinal cord fluid to the brain,” he said. “A good portion of the tumor was then removed in Iowa City.”

Her journey to recovery continued at St. Jude Children’s Hospital in Memphis.

“At Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital there (a partner of St. Jude’s), she had a second tumor resection surgery where they got more of it out, but couldn’t get it all because of where it was with the cords,” he explained.

Alicia Holden, 15, pictured with her dad Jon, is recovering from a brain stem stroke. Both are former Marshalltown residents, and Alicia was a student at West Marshall.

Alicia stayed in Memphis for about nine months.

“From there, we would go back and do scans every three months,” Jon said.

But in 2019, a tumor appeared in a different spot. She returned to Le Bonheur for more surgery.

“Instead of the tumor being wrapped around the cords like the first one, this one was actually between her brainstem and the major blood vessel in the brain,” Jon said. “So there was a section of the tumor they couldn’t get to. We finished out radiation, but it started to grow again in late 2020.”

Jon and Alicia spent the next two and a half years driving from Marshalltown to Memphis every two weeks for her to have an infusion done. Alicia would take 21 days of oral chemo pills and seven days of immune-boosting shots.

Jon’s absence from work began to take a financial toll on the family, which also consists of children Autom and Bentley.

In late May 2023, Alicia completed her treatment plan, as the tumor had stabilized. The family then discussed relocating. Deciding on a warmer climate, they packed up in July 2023 and moved to Stanardsville, Va.

The family learned of a doctor who had performed brain surgery on Alicia’s type of tumor in the exact location as hers.

“I left the choice up to her. She’s been through a lot,” Jon said. “From all the information we had, we knew there were risks — those were explained to her — but in talking to this surgeon, he’s always had a good outcome.”

Almost the entire tumor was removed in that September 2023 procedure.

“She was sealed up, off the breathing machine and I was told I’d be with her upstairs in about five to 10 minutes,” Jon said.

But after nearly a half hour went by with no further word from medical staff, Jon grew worried. That’s when he learned Alicia had suffered a brain stem stroke following the operation.

“She could blink her eyes, but that was it. She was paralyzed,” Jon said. “So we did communication by blinks.”

Alicia gained the ability to move her face and mouth words. She was then transferred from Le Bonheur to UVA Medical Center in Charlottesville — about 45 minutes from where the family home is located.

She made gains with physical therapy. It was then decided in November 2023 Alicia would continue her recovery at Kennedy Krieger Institute.

“We wanted her to go here because of its medical ties to Johns Hopkins,” he added. “It became evident this was a good move because she’s starting to move and they put her in classes her first full day.”

Alicia can now move her head forward and back, with control. In addition, she can move her left thumb, has some control of her hands, and can lift her feet off the wheelchair.

She has a trach to help her breathe and a G-tube feeding tube.

“She can actually breathe somewhat on her own, so she’s using a low setting on the breathing machine,” he said. “She’s doing a lot of the work herself, and it’s a gradual process. She’s got a beautiful smile and stays positive day to day.”

Jon is employed as a plant manager at Pilgrim’s Pride and works remotely from Alicia’s hospital room.

“If I get to a point where my mind is shot, I workout with my dumbbells (kept in her room),” he said. “I really changed my diet over the years. I’m probably drinking a gallon and a half of water a day and two cups of coffee.”

Alicia’s long-term goals are to walk again and speak in her full voice.

“If she’s in a wheelchair and doesn’t have use of her legs, she’s O.K. with that,” he said.

The Holdens have a gofundme page to raise money for food, home and medical bills, transportation to and from the hospital and a wheelchair-accessible vehicle.

www.gofundme.com/f/alicia-holden-family-medical-life-adjustment “Baltimore is about a three and a half to four hour drive home,” Jon said. “My oldest daughter Autom is holding down the fort with her boyfriend Kanin, little brother Bentley, two dogs and two cats.”

Her expected discharge day is Feb. 20. If you would like to send her mail, write to:

Kennedy Krieger Institute

707 N Broadway

Room 317

Baltimore, MD 21205