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Community Rallies Around 9-Year-Old Girl Battling Rare Tumor

By Howard Ludwig | November 27, 2014 7:13am | Updated on November 27, 2014 6:07pm
 Megan Taff, 9, of Morgan Park started feeling severe hip pain two years ago. A non-cancerous tumor was found that required doctors to fully remove her hip in order to attack the growth. All along the way, friends and neighbors have held fundraisers and offered prayers for the little girl with red hair and a bright smile.
Megan Taff
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MORGAN PARK — Megan Taff's little white dog, Tally, rarely leaves her side these days.

But the fluffy, mixed-breed pup isn't the only one who's drawn to the 9-year-old girl with red hair and big smile.

Megan's entire neighborhood has rallied around her since she was diagnosed with a rare tumor in her hip.

"I can't say enough about the people in this community," said Thomas Taff, Megan's father.

Megan Taff began feeling discomfort in her hip two years ago. She'd fallen off an elliptical machine at home, but it was nothing that appeared serious, said Jen Taff, Megan's mother.

"I said, 'Maybe it's just a bruise," Jen Taff said.

But on Christmas Eve, the condition worsened. Megan was crying so hard her parents took her to Palos Community Hospital in nearby Palos Heights. Doctors were stumped and sent Megan home only to have her pain increase, leaving her unable to get out of bed two days later.

 Megan Taff, 9, of Morgan Park was flown home from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. last month. Several firefighters who know Megan's father, Thomas Taff, arranged for the flight. Megan Taff returned home in a body cast that stretches from her chest to her right ankle.
Megan Taff, 9, of Morgan Park was flown home from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. last month. Several firefighters who know Megan's father, Thomas Taff, arranged for the flight. Megan Taff returned home in a body cast that stretches from her chest to her right ankle.
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Her deteriorating condition landed Megan at the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago. She spent the entire month of January in the Streeterville hospital. Ten different doctors and specialists all attempted to diagnose the problem.

"Nobody could figure it out. They called her the puzzle patient," Jen Taff said.

Eventually, it was determined that Megan had an aneurysmal tumor growing in her hip socket. Fueled by blood, the non-cancerous tumor causes severe pain as it grows, Jen Taff said.

"It's a rare tumor. People have said that no one in our lives will ever see anyone else with it," said Jen Taff, adding such tumors are commonly found in knees and ankles.

Meanwhile, Megan was wasting away. She weighed just 26 pounds when she was taken to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. She underwent her first surgery there on St. Patrick's Day — March 17, 2013.

Doctors had to fully remove her hip to attack the tumor. The surgery successfully eliminated the growth, but a void was left behind.

Bone eventually grew into the space made by the tumor and subsequent surgery. Megan again began complaining of pain. She returned to the Mayo Clinic in April to have the bone shaved.

Last month, she again went back to the Mayo Clinic. This time, she needed to have her hip socket rebuilt and bone reset, yet another lingering effect of the tumor.

This latest surgery sent Megan home in a cast that stretches from her chest down to her right ankle. She was bedridden for weeks, sleeping in the family's living room with her Maltese-Bichon Frise pup, Thomas Taff said.

"The best thing was no tumor has come back," he said.

All along the way, families from St. Cajetan Parish at 2445 W. 112th St. in Morgan Park were there to offer prayers and support. Neighbors arrived with a nearly endless supply of meals for the family, Thomas Taff said.

Megan and her twin sister Tegan Taff attend third grade at St. Cajetan School. When Megan was first diagnosed with her hip tumor, students held a fundraiser. Everyone pitched in $2 each to support the family in exchange for being able to dress out of their Catholic school uniforms for a day.

With the latest surgery, one neighbor launched a GoFundMe site for Megan. The site sought to raise $10,000 for Megan's transportation to and from the Mayo Clinic. The coordinator of the online fundraiser wanted to pay for an ambulance to deliever Megan, as she needed to remain horizontal after the surgery.

The site ended up raising $28,675 from 350 contributors.

Among the donations was $410 from a group of roughly 19 boys in Megan's class. The third-graders with birthdays in October and November had a combined party. Rather than gifts, attendees were asked to make a donation towards Megan's transportation and recovery.

In the end, Megan ended up flying home from the Mayo Clinic. The flight was donated by several paramedics from the neighborhood who work with AeroCare Medical Transport System Inc. The paramedics moonlight on the medical transport planes while also serving as Chicago firefighters.

Thomas Taff is a former Chicago firefighter himself who was put on disability after falling from a building and suffering severe burns. He keeps in close contact with his friends and former co-workers within the Chicago Fire Department. In fact, many of them live in the same Southwest Side neighborhood.

After suffering his own fire-related accident, Thomas Taff started Bucks for Burn Camp, which raises money for the Illinois Fire Safety Alliance’s Camp “I Am Me.” The specialty camp is designed for children with severe burn injuries.

Thomas Taff has been awed by seeing his own philanthropic efforts come full circle since Megan's diagnosis.

"Many people have told me that now they finally get a chance to help the Taffs," he said.

Megan was able to leave her house at long last on Halloween. Dressed as a minion from "Despicable Me," Megan joined her classmates in a costume parade at school using a special wheelchair.

She's now starting to get around the house using crutches or a walker. And while Megan's condition improves, the outpouring of support has continued.

On Friday, J.C. Restoration Inc. has scheduled a fundraiser for Megan from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. at its headquarters at 3200 Squibb Ave. in Rolling Meadows. Thomas Taff works closely with the suburban company that restores properties damaged by water, smoke, fire and mold.

The Taffs have already paid roughly $20,000 in out-of-pocket medical expenses since Megan's diagnosis and more charges are expected with regularly scheduled folllow-ups, said Jen Taff, adding that all money raised will go towards Megan's medical care.

Then, there are the parents from St. Cajetan School who are hosting a private fundraiser on Saturday night. Attendees are encouraged to make donation to the two teachers who volunteered to homeschool Megan while she recovers from her latest surgery.

On Wednesday, Deacon Rob Morris from St. Cajetan stopped by to say a special blessing over Megan. He also gave her a vial of water from the healing springs of Our Lady of Lourdes and told the bright-eyed little girl on the couch how much everyone has been praying for her.

"I know I've said your name every day in Mass for the past month," Morris said.

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