Mother keeps positive attitude despite brain tumor surgeries

The Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius was a philosopher and wrote twelve books of meditations that he used for guidance and self-improvement. In one of his books, he wrote: “The happiness of your life depends on the quality of your thoughts.”

This simple statement may seem like mild brainwashing, but if it helps you keep a positive outlook throughout the day, isn’t that the best mindset to have as you face life’s challenges?

Idaho resident Jammie Waterhouse always keeps a positive attitude, even when she faces a major challenge. Working as a 911 dispatcher, she married Aaron when she was 26. They looked forward to one day starting a family.

Three years later, she started experiencing terrible migraine headaches. Within a few months, after visiting the doctors at Portneuf Medical Center, she was diagnosed with Stage 4 Glioblastoma – a brain tumor in its final stage. This was a severe diagnosis, as patients with this type and severity of cancer were, on average, expected to live only 12-18 months more.

Jammie’s diagnosis happened 60 months ago, and she has maintained a positive attitude ever since, despite undergoing two brain surgeries and years of scheduled radiation and chemotherapy sessions.

Still, she never gave up hope to start a family. She asked her chemotherapy doctor if it was still possible for her to have children.

“He did not give me a direct yes or no answer,” recalled Jammie. “I think he didn't want to give me false hope.”

When they left the hospital, Jammie and Aaron decided to do their own research on conceiving a child with her condition. They determined that they had about a 1% chance of delivering a healthy baby despite the radiation and chemo that was pumped into her body.

Yet, on August 7, 2023, she gave birth to McKenzie Loretta Waterhouse.

Through it all, Jammie maintained her positive attitude to greet each day and deal with everything as best she can.

“Despite everything, I believe I am truly blessed,” she said.