Liza Burke took her final breath and passed out, her brother, who was sleeping next to her, holding her hand tightly. The world has been following Liza’s story, the stunning 21-year-old University of Georgia senior who planned a final pre-graduation spring break trip to Cabo for 53 friends. However, while she was there, she suffered a brain hemorrhage, and it was discovered that she had an aggressive malignant brain tumor. It was her last trip ever.
Her mother Laura McKeithen said that “her brother slept on the sofa and held her hand all night long” when she passed away on April 28. With Jack holding her hand, she took her last breath. ”.
Liza’s mother, who is 55 years old, says Liza “lived it big” and was “very authentic and unapologetically herself,” and she gives this advice: “Don’t waste time worrying about stupid stuff. Simply take a risk. ”.
Being an adventurous person who was inspired to travel the world, Liza lived by that philosophy. Liza sent her mother pictures from her vacation in Cabo where she was handstands on the beach, boating, and cliff diving. The group gathered around a beach bonfire where they sang and shared tales on her last night. The following morning, she left breakfast early and told friends she had a blinding headache after working out with her boyfriend. She went to her room to take a nap, but was discovered in bed unconscious hours later. A portion of Liza’s skull was removed to stop the bleeding after doctors in Mexico discovered she had a brain bleed and suspected a ruptured Arteriovenoum malformation (AVM). When Liza returned to Florida, her mother immediately flew to be with her and brought her there, taking Liza to the Mayo Clinic. Her malignant, aggressive brainstem tumor was found after local medical professionals ruled out AVM.
GoFundMe / Friends Of Liza Burke Laura recalled that when Liza first woke up after being sedated, her daughter ripped the ventilator out of her mouth. “They were worried she wouldn’t breathe on her own, but of course she was fine,” Laura said. ”.
It was challenging for Liza because the tumor stressed the area of her brain that kept her awake and she kept waking up. Squeezing my hand or moving her toes were some of the ways she communicated when she was awake, according to her mother. “I asked her, ‘Liza, are you scared?’ I had been asking her all kinds of other questions, but when I asked her if she was scared, she did not squeeze my hand. Family and friends spent a few more days with Liza, who made a full recovery after beginning the daily radiation treatment that was supposed to last for six weeks. She was attempting to walk while doing squats, biking, and other exercises.
However, a new hemorrhage on her brain was discovered a few days later by doctors. Due to Liza’s mother’s desire to avoid another intubation and Liza’s infectious spirit, discussions with her medical team began. Laura questioned whether Liza’s headaches during her first year of college were precursors to the brain tumor and if they had been discovered earlier, would her daughter be okay.
GoFundMe / Friends Of Liza Burke Laura recalled asking Liza’s oncologist, “If we had caught this when she first told me that she thought there was something wrong in her head-do you think things could have been different?”.
The oncologist responded, “Well, I can tell you one thing for sure: She wouldn’t have all of these pictures.
” The oncologist took a look around her decorated room, which was “full, full, full, full of pictures of her and her friends.”. “We would eventually be exactly where we are right now,” he said, according to Laura. When the family was informed that the treatment was ineffective and hospice care was advised, Laura needed to find a location where she was confident her daughter would be content. As her mother recalled, “She would want to be somewhere beautiful, where she could be with her friends, and with her family, and everybody could celebrate her, and she could be outside and enjoy the beach, or the mountains.”. Once she had made sure the landlords were okay with it being used for hospice care, Laura found a beachfront Airbnb and rented it for a month. On April 19, Liza and her immediate family moved into their new home, which was frequently visited by friends and grandparents.
Liza was alert in those times but mute. Laura claimed that her daughter would wiggle her toes or make a small mouth or eyelid gesture to communicate. ”.
Interstellar, starring Matthew McConaughey and Jessica Chastain, was the movie that everyone gathered to watch on April 27. Following the film, Laura went to her own bedroom and explained her choice, saying, “I knew if I was with her, I would probably drive her crazy, staring at her and squeezing her hand and squeezing her toes and kissing her. “Liza passed away around 2 a.m. while sleeping next to her brother Jack. m. Friday.
“After exhaling completely, Liza sighed and crossed over to the following realm. “Liza has now been reunited with her sister and they are making up for lost time,” Laura continued. Liza’s older sister Edie passed away in 2008 from a rare genetic condition known as MPS1. Laura wrote, “If I could, I would hang onto Liza and follow her,” in her heartbreaking online journal. “On May 2, Laura got a letter from Liza to her future self in the mail. It was a class project from Liza’s senior year of high school. When the students graduated from college, her teacher promised to mail the letters to them. May 12, 2023 would have been Liza’s graduation day. “It was simply stunning. At her memorial, Laura will read snippets from the book she wrote because “it was all her.”.
Laura intends to scatter Liza’s ashes in the mountains and possibly some in Mexico. Liza was cremated. Laura recalled her daughter as a brave, fearless, adventurous, and joyful young woman and said, “That tumor may have taken her life, but it didn’t slow her down. She was active. Her legacy is to live each day to the fullest. I want people to know that she freaking lived a good life. I wish I could live my life as successfully as she has. “To honor two sisters and the sincere, dynamic, playful, and fierce way they gave back to the world, her mother is asking for donations to The Liza and Edie Burke Education Fund. ”.
After traveling to Mexico, UGA student Liza Burke received a brain tumor diagnosis. Liza Burke, a student at the University of Georgie, who… Posted by Coolmediaplanet on March 28, 2023.
It is so tragic that Liza passed away because she was so young and had such a bright future. In their time of healing, the family is in our thoughts and prayers, especially Laura, who lost her second daughter. READ AROUND.
