16 Year Old North County Surfer With Inoperable Brain Tumor Starts Brand To Help Cancer Patients Cope

by Mike Cooch

Kira Stanley is in many ways just like most 16 year old girls you’ll find living in North County.

A junior at La Costa Canyon High School and a surf instructor at Concept Surf Shop in Encinitas, Kira is full of energy and spirit, focused on her friends and surfing, and looking forward to new adventures after high school.

What’s different from most, however, is that Kira was very recently diagnosed with having a very aggressive,  inoperable brain tumor.

Only a few weeks away from her driver’s test, and super excited because she worked all summer to save enough money to buy her own car, Kira now unfortunately can’t see well enough to do so.

In a very short 5-week period she went from a normal and healthy teenager, to a kid fighting an incredibly difficult fight.

What started as mild double vision, escalated quickly to intense headaches, then dizziness. Several trips to various doctors and numerous tests eventually revealed a parent’s worst nightmare, a rare and aggressive form of cancerous tumor attached to Kira’s brain stem.

Optimism and Contribution

Despite learning of her condition only a few weeks ago, Kira remains very optimistic and happy. Amazingly, she’s already focused on contributing to others facing similar circumstances by creating the ‘Brain Tumor Hall Pass‘ movement.

A ‘Brain Tumor Hall Pass’ (hashtag #bthp), is the phrase Kira and her family started using when things get overwhelming for Kira and she wants to politely tell everyone she needs a break. Her tumor makes her particularly sensitive to light and sound, so being around friends and family can unfortunately become uncomfortable quite quickly.

Kira wants the ‘Brain Tumor Hall Pass’ to be a tool anyone with a brain tumor can use to ‘get a break’ when they need one.

Treatment Options

The conventional treatments available for Kira’s tumor don’t offer a lot of promise. After exhaustive research, Kira and her family decided on a treatment offered in Mexico that has shown the most promise by far. But, of course, that treatment isn’t covered by her family’s health insurance.

How You Can Help

Family and friends have launched a store selling #bthp clothes, bracelets, and phone cases, and a GoFundMe campaign, to support the movement and raise funds for Kira’s treatment. Any additional funds will go toward the establishment of a ‘Brain Tumor Hall Pass Foundation’ to support brain cancer research and treatment programs.

If you pick up some #bthp gear, be sure to share some pics on social and use the hashtag so Kira can see – it will mean the world to her and her family!

You can keep up with her latest progress on her Facebook page.

#cancersucks #kickcancersass #bthp