When Nathalie Masse talks to her daughter Lea Mohally in French, Lea replies in English.
For a 3-and-a-half-year-old girl, Lea is well on her way to becoming bilingual. This is more than just a testimony to her mother’s upbringing in French-speaking Canada; it is a commitment to the future that no one expected when Lea was diagnosed at 6 months with a brain tumor.
This year, Lea celebrates after being out of treatment for two years.
Like any young child her age, she is full of dreams. On this particular day, after having returned from the French-American School in Jersey City, she tries to draw the apple she has already half-devoured. At the same time, she talks up a storm about how she feels (“I feel good”) and about expecting soon to have a new baby sister (“Mommy has a baby sister in her belly”).
Born in Hoboken, Lea and her mother, father, and younger sister live in downtown Jersey City.
“We wanted more space,” Masse explains.
The fact that the French-American School is nearby is an added blessing. Masse wants to maintain connection with her French Canadian past, even though she fell in love with an Irishman from Hoboken.
Lea is a French name (and not chosen after the princess from “Star Wars”) and part of an agreement she and her husband have.
“We agreed to give our girl children French names, and our boys, Irish names,” Masse says.
Since they have two daughters and another on the way, Masse got the better of the deal.
“We’re told she has a fifty/fifty chance of it returning.” – Nathalie Masse
____________
“Fortunately, it could be removed,” Masse said.
But Lea had to undergo intense chemotherapy. And while she is better now, Lea still has some medical issues somewhat related to brain function.
An uncertain, but hopeful, future
She also lives knowing that with this particular type of tumor there is no such thing as remission. The cancer can come back at any time.
“We’re told she has a 50/50 chance of it returning,” Masse said.
Even scarier is the fact that the medications that she is required to take can cause different kinds of cancer in the future.
But neither the cancer nor treatment has affected Lea’s cognitive ability.
She started talking at one and half years old and hasn’t stopped since. She often interrupts her mother with questions or requests.
“Do you like my apple?” Lea asks about her drawing.
She asks her mother what she should draw next. When asked if she remembered the treatment for cancer, she nodds, but seems more interested in the fact that she is being interviewed by a reporter – just the way Curious George was.
She attends pre-K at the French-American School, something her mother wanted as a thread back to Canada and her own upbringing where French was the language spoken in her home.
“I didn’t learn English until I was 20,” Masse says.
For the second year in a row, Lea teamed up recently with her 6-year-old friend Antonio to host their annual lemonade stand to raise funds and awareness to cure childhood cancer, part of the Alex’s Lemonade movement that allows kids to help raise money and awareness that the disease strikes at a young age. The event was held on April 26 near their home as part of the annual Mercer Street Stoop Sale from 10:30 to 4 p.m. All profits went to Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation.
Masse said she discovered the foundation while doing research on the internet. The story of a young girl with similar issues resonated with her.
“As a parent of a child with cancer, I have become something of an expert and advocate for cancer research,” Masse said. “Lea’s cancer, we’re told, was simply bad luck. It wasn’t caused by anything we did.”
But she said she wants to make sure that there is a cure and a better understanding for kids in the future. “We need to find out more, and research takes money.”
For those who couldn’t attend the event, there is an online opportunity to donate by going to: http://www.alexslemonade.org/mypage/1122715.
Al Sullivan may be reached at asullivan@hudsonreporter.com.