By Keighla Schmidt, Staff Writer

For Marissa Angell’s 19th birthday, she got a brain tumor.

The tennis-ball sized tumor was wrapped tightly in her brain and it was a gift that would keep coming back. A year later, the 2008 Prior Lake High School graduate and Savage resident still has cancer and she needs help. !--break-->

So, Marissa’s Starry Starry Night Benefit is scheduled from 6 to 11 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 5 at the Dan Patch American Legion, 12375 Princeton Ave., downtown. The event includes a pasta bar, a silent auction and live music. Money raised will help pay for Marissa’s constantly-growing medical expenses.

“I think this is something she really needs – she needs to know there are people out there who care about her, are thinking about her and love her,” said Marissa’s friend, Rebecca Kufrin.

Rebecca was Marissa’s college freshman roommate at Minnesota State University-Mankato when the tumor was found on Oct. 15, 2008. The two first became friends when they were in seventh grade at Hidden Oaks Middle School.

Rebecca and Marissa’s parents, Norma and Charlie, have watched the cancerous tumor take over Marissa’s life.

From the start

“It started the summer before she left for school when she started talking about vision problems,” Norma said. Marissa: Marissa Angell was
diagnosed with a brain tumor
shortly after graduating from
Prior Lake High School in 2008.

After a visit to the eye doctor she was given glasses and sent on her way.

But when she started college, Marissa would frequently send her mom text messages complaining of headaches. “We thought it was the stress and change of going to college,” Norma said.

Rebecca recalls her roommate complaining of headaches, too.

“They would get so bad that she wasn’t able to go to class,” she said. “One time it got so bad that when she was on her way back from a class she couldn’t see and she had to sit down in the middle of the sidewalk until she could tolerate it.”

It was after she was unable to see out of one eye and ran into a person on campus that Norma knew it was more than poor vision and adjustment headaches. Norma didn’t waste much time getting Marissa an appointment at the clinic on campus, but from there she was sent to the hospital and celebrated her birthday getting an MRI. After spotting the mass, surgery was scheduled to remove it.

After the diagnosis, her family went back to her dorm to get some of her things.

“It was hard when Marissa and her dad came to the dorm room to clear everything out. I helped them pack some things up. I was crying and her mom was crying – we didn’t know what to think,” Rebecca said.

When the surgery took place five days later, the family was nervous.

“I was extremely scared and wondered what the long-term effects of the surgery would be,” Norma said. “For Marissa, though, she said it was just something we had to do and we should ‘just get it done with.’”

After the surgery, doctors told the family they were able to remove all of the tumor and didn’t diagnose it as cancerous; rather they said it was a rare benign tumor that would have to be monitored throughout her life.

As a girl who spent her high school years working in a salon and flaunting her beautiful hair, getting used to her partially shaven head was an adjustment.

“She always had the prettiest hair, she would style it different all the time and her hair was her thing,” Rebecca said. “It’s been an adjustment for her. Obviously hair grows back and her health is a priority – but it’s hard.”

While recovering from the surgery the teenager had to pull out of school, but planned to go back for the spring semester.

More problems

But on a spring break trip to Florida this year with her family, Marissa’s headaches returned.

“We both knew something was wrong,” Norma said.

An MRI confirmed their notions, the main tumor was back, bigger, and it brought more tumors.

Doctors then diagnosed the tumor as cancerous. Radiation and chemotherapy were planned.

From there, Marissa has had many different forms of treatments and doctors are trying to find something that works. Marissa’s been in the hospital many times, she’s had at least four blood transfusions and spends the majority of her time in pain. She’s lost all of her hair and is back on the mood- and appearance-changing steroids.

Right now she’s on chemo, but the tumors haven’t changed in a few months.

An Angell’s life

Marissa’s bed has been moved down to the family’s living room with an air mattress nearby for Norma.

Because she’s in so much pain, Marissa doesn’t get much sleep and spends her days in bed as she tires easily.

“I sleep right by her so I can help her,” the mom said.

The colorful fitted sheet on Marissa’s bed match the pillowcase on her mom’s bed. 

“They’ve always been close,” Rebecca said. “They would talk almost every day. I’m sure Norma felt like she was in college with us.”

Even with her daughter home, Norma said she misses her.

“I miss her coming through the front door, her playing her music loudly upstairs as she’s getting ready and her just being her,” Norma said.

Her dad has also formed a stronger bond with the couple’s only child.

“He’ll do anything for her now – whatever Marissa needs or wants, he gets,” Norma said.

While it’s hard watching their daughter battle cancer, she keeps them in check.

“Just when we think we can't do another thing, I get a text from Marissa that says ‘I love you mom. Thank you for everything you do for me.’ Or my husband gets one that says ‘I love you dad.’ It makes our sleepless and hard days all worth it. This is just how sweet our girl is,” Norma said.

While Marissa’s life has changed a lot since the diagnosis, Rebecca continues to see all the good qualities of her friend.

“She’s the friend that everybody wants as a best friend,” she said. “There isn’t anything she won’t do for her friends. She’s so caring and warm hearted.”

For instance, Marissa continuously checked in with Rebecca, whose father was dying of brain cancer. “She would always ask about me and how I was doing and how my dad was doing,” Rebecca said. “I just think that’s amazing that she was concerned about other people when she was suffering so much herself.”

Marissa and Norma both attended Rebecca’s dad’s funeral in September.  

“It means so much to me that they came – it’s just amazing,” Rebecca said.

Marissa said she’s thankful for all the people who have taken time to get in touch with her and let her know they’re thinking of her. She also plans to keep “fighting like a girl.”

She gets many messages each day through text messages, Facebook or on her CaringBridge Web page: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/marissaangell.

The Angell Brigade, as the family now calls itself, isn’t sure if Marissa will be able to attend the Dec. 5 benefit, but they’re hoping she can come for some of the event.

People who can’t make the benefit, but want to help, can send checks to “Marissa Angell Benefit” c/o Prior Lake State Bank, 16677 Duluth Ave. S.E., P.O. Box 369, Prior Lake, MN 55372.

Keighla Schmidt can be reached at kschmidt@swpub.com.