Adalynn (Addie) Gaudet

When Adalynn (Addie) Gaudet was three years old, her parents, Justina and Sheldon, noticed she was having balance issues. She was unsteady on her feet and wouldn’t ride her bike, swing on a swing set, or run too fast. And she would always call for help when going down the stairs.
Addie’s parents were very concerned and took her to their local hospital in PEI to have her checked out. They thought she could have an ear infection, which can cause balance problems, but there was no infection. The following day she saw an eye doctor.
Addie’s eye doctor discovered an abnormality around her optic nerve through some eye tests. She was immediately sent to the emergency department to have a CT scan. Unfortunately, the results showed a large growth in her brain stem. Addie was sent to the IWK’s Emergency Department that day by ambulance, where an experienced pediatric emergency nurse was waiting for her.