Surgery successful for Tatum Dunn, inspiration for #PrayforTatum
Published: Fri, August 9, 2013 12:00 AM Updated: Fri, August 9, 2013 11:15 AM
Tatum Dunn, 3-month-old daughter of Broken Arrow defensive coordinator Steve Dunn, had successful surgery to remove a brain tumor on Thursday.
The tumor was completely removed by surgeons at Le Bonheur Children's Hospital in Memphis. The procedure was scheduled to start at 7 a.m. Thursday morning and lasted around six hours.
"She only lost 18ccs of blood, and she is off the ventilator already," Tatum's mother, Michelle, wrote on the "Pray for Tatum" Facebook page around 4 p.m. "Surgeon is elated and still thinks tumor was (desmoplastic infantile ganglioglioma)."
The rare type of brain tumor is most common in children younger than 1, and in most cases, the tumors are benign.
Tatum's tumor will be sent to a lab for testing, which is expected to take four or five days.
Tatum and her family became the center of a wide-spread internet movement earlier this week. After her dad used the hashtag #prayfortatum on Twitter, Tatum's story circulated on the social media site. Football coaches from at least 22 states have used the hashtag this week.
The scripture and the prayers that Tatum's family have shared throughout her ordeal struck a chord with many, and on Thursday afternoon, Michelle shared on Facebook that one of the doctor's wrote I Peter 2:24 on the whiteboard in Tatum's hospital room.
By his wounds you have been healed.
"Clearly, God has made His presence known," Michelle wrote.
CommentsSurgery successful for Tatum Dunn, inspiration for #PrayforTatum