One local 8-year-old is fighting the fight of a lifetime as she undergoes cancer treatment at Saint Jude’s and the community is rallying behind her.

Deanna Meade became sick with daily vomiting this fall and the symptoms continued for three months. For three weeks she had no appetite.

The Pomaria-Garmany Elementary School student’s pediatrician ordered tests and scans for the third-grader before sending her to a gastroenterologist. The scans revealed a brain tumor.

On Dec. 29, Meade was admitted to Palmetto Health Richland and on Dec. 30 underwent nine hours of surgery to remove the tumor. Doctors were able to remove most of the tumor, but not all. It was determined that the tumor was a Medulloblastoma, an aggressive type of cancer. Medulloblastoma is fast-growing and the most common primary central nervous system tumor which arises in childhood.

Meade’s parents, Meagan Grimsley and Marty Meade, decided that St. Jude’s would be the best plan of action to continue the girl’s treatment, working on getting rid of the rest of the bad cells.

On Jan. 10, Meade and her mom flew to Memphis, Tenn., where Meade started being tested and evaluated. Doctors have found several tumors remaining in the girl’s body.

After a week of testing, doctors planned to begin harvesting the girl’s bone marrow yesterday in a procedure that will require Meade to remain still for seven hours.

Once the bone marrow is banked, radiation could begin as early as today.

For the local student, classes have resumed despite her hospitalization. She started classes at the hospital Tuesday and is also trying her hand at raising sea monkeys.

Meade will undergo radiation daily for six weeks.

After the six weeks’ treatment, Meade will return home for four weeks before returning to St. Jude’s for four months.

The course of treatment should last about a year and Meagan Grimsley and her daughter plan to travel to and from the Tennessee hospital during that time.

So for the upcoming months, Grimsley will not be able to work in her C.R. Koon Highway hair salon, Shear Genius, and it means leaving her two other children, 11-year-old Dante and almost 2-year-old Maloree, and husband Travis Meade in Newberry.

Grimsley says the other stylists in her shop are serving her customers and the shop is still open. She plans to return to work when she and Meade are home and hopes to keep her business open during her daughter’s illness.

Many in the community have already begun steps to help the family pay hospital bills, and living expenses in Newberry and Tennessee. A trust fund has been set up in Deanna Meade’s name at CapitalBank.

Also, a host of churches, friends and organizations are holding fundraisers for Meade.

The biggest fundraisers will be titled PUSH (Pray Until Something Happens) for Deanna and will include stickers to support the effort.

At her home church, Wightman United Methodist Church in Prosperity, 8-year-old Cam Farr has drawn a picture of a bass chasing smaller fish and the artwork can be purchased for a donation to Meade’s fund. In just a couple of weeks, the boy has raised more than $2,000 to help his peer.

OPPORTUNITIES TO HELP

— Farr’s drawings can be purchased at Wightman Church, 302 North Main St., Prosperity, or by calling the church at 364-2340.

— Feb. 27, a spaghetti supper to raise money is planned. The supper will be from 5 to 7 p.m. at Wightman Church and tickets are $7 per plate.

— A beauty pageant is planned for March 6 at the Prosperity Civic Center.

— Also in the works are a poker run and other events.

— Cards can be sent to Meade at: Deanna Meade, Room #25, 535 Alabama Ave., Memphis, TN 38105. Due to hospital policies, the family is asking for stuffed animals and other gifts not to be sent but they are accepting gift cards for Cracker Barrel, Target, Wal-Mart, Applebees, Burger King, or McDonalds.

The pair are staying in a Ronald McDonald House and must purchase meals, get take out or cook it themselves.

Another suggestion is gift cards, so Meade can buy songs for her iPod.

To keep up with Meade’s progress, a Caring Bridge Web site has been set up at http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/deannameade. Also a “PUSH for Deanna” group had been set up on Facebook.