Payton Begovich
LIBERTY LAKE - A local 17 year old girl continues battling cancer in the in-patient oncology wing of Sacred Heart Medical Center.
Payton Begovich was diagnosed in 2021 at age 15, with a malignant form of brain cancer called glioblastoma multiforme. She has undergone multiple treatments from that time onward.
According to Tony Begovich, Payton's father, Payton began complaining of vision problems in her left eye in August of 2021. By the end of August she was struggling with mild headaches and, after a consult with an optometrist which yielded no discernible issues, Payton was seen by a doctor at the emergency department at Sacred Heart Medical Center.
Scans revealed that Payton had a mass in her brain, and after a biopsy it was discovered that the mass was a malignant glioblastoma multiforme.
Payton has now gone through a range of treatments from traditional chemo therapy to experimental drugs.
"The doctor's say that Payton throws them curve balls all the time. She has defied expectations left and right," said Tony Begovich. "She is getting the best care possible, and we are so thankful for the people here at Sacred Heart."
Tony said that on June 5 Payton was aware, cognizant, and asking for french toast. "We will be taking her home and into hospice care as soon as the doctors recommend doing so," Tony said.
Additionally, Joseph Van Voorhis, who is a long time family friend and the owner of Joe's House in Millwood, WA, has organized a fund raiser to help offset some of the medical costs.
"I found out the family was running low on resources," Van Voorhis said. "So I called right away and asked what I could do to help."
"We auctioned off some gift baskets and continue to promote her GoFundMe and Venmo links because these funds go to help pay for trial medicine so she will have more time with her family," he added.
Van Voorhis said his goal was to raise $10,000 with the fundraiser and they exceeded that goal. He also said he would be holding more auctions moving forward, including some Gonzaga tickets.
The family also manages a GoFundMe page at https://gofund.me/01f343af which, at the time of publication, had raised over $63 thousand.
Lucas is a former Cheney Free Press managing editor. He is a nationally published author who contributes regularly to several publications across the country.
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