Mother of UGA senior diagnosed with stage 4 brain tumor ‘prepared her for worst-case scenario’
A University of Georgia student diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor is fighting to survive — and daily prayers give her the strength to carry on, her mother said.
Liza Burke, 21, suffered a brain hemorrhage while on vacation in Mexico on March 10 — and was airlifted to the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, where she is receiving treatment.
After a biopsy, doctors confirmed that Burke had a grade four astrocytoma glioma, a malignant and aggressive tumor on the brainstem that grows rapidly. The young woman began irradiation immediately.
Liza’s mother Laura McKeithen told DailyMail.com that doctors “had the talk.” preparing her for the worst, but miraculously, her daughter fought the battle.
“In Mexico, the doctor said they would take her off the anesthesia to see if there was any brain activity. They weren’t expecting anything and had me prepared for that, then Liza deliberately moved and we were all stunned… total elation,” McKeithen said.
Liza Burke, 21, suffered a brain hemorrhage while on vacation in Mexico on March 10 — and was airlifted to the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, where she is being treated
Liza’s family surrounds her with love at her bedside at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida
Liza and her mother, Laura McKeithen smiling
Liza Burke, pictured right, suffered a severe brain hemorrhage while on a spring break trip to Mexico
“Here they prepared me for several worst case scenarios. It’s very disturbing, but I understand why they have to. Thank goodness we haven’t come across one yet,” McKeithen said.
Burke will undergo daily radiation treatment for the next few weeks.
Liza’s mother said the main concern at the moment is her daughter’s respiratory system, while the radiation seems to be effective.
Doctors assured her that her daughter is progressing as expected.
“Liza holds her ground,” she said, describing her as her Sleeping Beauty/Princess Warrior.
McKeithen provides DailyMail.com with regular updates on her daughter’s condition. She also shared how grateful she is for the prayers for healing and messages of support.
“I think it’s a combination of Liza’s strength and willpower along with prayers and support from so many people around the world sending her healing energy. I know it has given me hope.’
Her daughter is scheduled for another MRI later this week which she said will provide more information about her prognosis.
“My trust is in her and in God. She is a fighter and in God’s grace. We expect miracles here.’
McKeithen describes her daughter as fearless. A day before she had the brain hemorrhage, McKeithen said Liza jumped off cliffs and enjoyed a boat ride and bonfire
Liza’s mom Laura McKeithen wrote on a GoFundMe that if “you feel prompted to send a note of encouragement, please send it to Liza’s attention at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville.”
Liza and her boyfriend take a picture together during their spring break trip to Mexico
McKeithen told DailyMail.com that around 2019 — around the time she entered college — her daughter started complaining of headaches and sometimes lightheadedness.
“Liza said maybe four times, ‘I think there’s something wrong in my head,’ and three times she told me she felt like she was going to pass out.”
But like most college kids, McKeithen thought it was due to sleep deprivation and the stress of college.
“I assumed it was a girl in her twenties who is under a lot of pressure. The way she said it—it was never a plea…it never seemed like there was anything urgent about it.”
The day before she had the brain hemorrhage, her mother said her daughter was in Cabo San Lucas with her boyfriend, his college brothers, their girlfriends and other friends.
They went cliff diving, enjoyed a boat ride and a bonfire later in the evening. The mother recalled, “She felt great and she sent me a picture of her doing a handstand.”
The next day she got a huge headache after she finished working out at the gym. McKeithen said she told her boyfriend she was going to take a nap. When he went back to check on her a few hours later, he couldn’t wake her up and rushed her to the hospital.
When she got the heartbreaking news about her daughter, the doctors told her they had placed an EVD line in her brain to drain the fluid – but also told her they weren’t sure how much brain damage she had suffered.
McKeithen jumped on the first plane to Cabo San Lucas because her daughter had heart problems.
A series of events took place that led to many roadblocks in getting Liza out of Mexico and into the Mayo Clinic in Florida.
The medical trauma helicopter was unable to reach Mexico to airlift her daughter because the airport in San Diego was closed as President Biden was in town.
McKeithen raced against time to get her daughter the immediate life-saving medical care she needed.
‘You can’t make this up. It was insane. I have friends who had to call their friends who work for the FAA and who managed to get the plane off the ground.”
“I trust in her and in God,” Lisa’s mother said. “She is a fighter and in God’s grace. We expect miracles here.’
Her friends called an ambulance after she complained of a headache and wouldn’t get up from a nap she’d taken
When Burke first arrived at the Mayo Clinic, her mother said she reacted faster once the sedatives wore off — she pulled the tube out of her mouth and wiggled her fingers — but a few days later, she had a setback and was unresponsive more.
Last week, when the radiation started, she started taking some steps by wiggling her toes and squeezing the doctor’s hands.
Other reactions over the past few days include raising eyebrows and pursed her lips when her mother asked her for a kiss.
And on Tuesday night, McKeithen said Liza raised her eyebrows for the doctor this morning and wiggled some toes during the day.
A great friend shared, McKeithen said, “This week will feel like turbulence, but trust that you are on your way to your destination. Hold on Liza lovers. Miracles here we come.’