Salon to donate proceeds to brain tumor patient
BY FRANKLIN HAYES Gulf Breeze News franklin@gulfbreezenews.com

Submitted Photo Kylie Valin, left, is pictured here with her stepfather, Ryan Deffley. Valin is scheduled to have her second brain surgery and a local hair salon is ready to help offset the costs.

As a young girl prepares for her second round of brain surgery, her family is reaching out to the community for help.

Kylie Valin, 12, of Pensacola, traveled with her family in September of last year to the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Children's Hospital to have a baseball sized brain tumor removed. Now, six months later, doctors say she must return to UAB for surgery again because the tumor has already regained half of its size.

Although her medical bills are taken care of by the state, her family is now trying to raise money for a second 250-mile trip to central Alabama and another possible twoweek stay.

Two local businesses have already committed to helping the cause and hope that the community will express the generosity it's known for. New Attitude Salon, located at 3238 Fordham Parkway in Gulf Breeze, is holding a benefit March 17 and owner Denise Williams said she would donate 50 percent of profits from her services that day.

"I can't even imagine what they've been through," Williams said. "If I can use my hair cutting ability to help raise some money then that's what I want to do... If one of my grandchildren were that sick I'd feel helpless."

Valin's family also set up an account in her name at AmSouth bank for anyone who wishes to make an anonymous donation. The girl's grandmother, Diane Bicker, will also be selling "Kites for Kylie" in front of the salon on March 17.

Valin's stepfather, Ryan Deffley, said Valin is an artistic young girl who greatly misses being in the company of her peers and is home schooled due to her condition.

"It puts a burden on her to see our stress level," said Deffley, who estimated their last trip cost the family approximately $2,000, not including their utility bills and mortgage payments.

"I don't know what we'd do without all the help we've gotten," said Deffley, who owns and is the sole employee of a lawn care business. "It's been real hard on her."

Bicker said her granddaughter was also diagnosed with hydrocephalus, more commonly known as water on the brain, which is the leading cause for brain surgery among children in the United States. During the last surgery doctors implanted a shunt in Valin's brain to drain the excess fluid into her abdomen, Bicker said.

Pediatrician Dr. Thomas Riney said it is imperative parents provide routine pediatric care to catch similar problems early.

"She'd had routine checkups since she was a baby and the doctors didn't notice it," Deffley said.

Riney, who serves as chairman of the pediatric department at Sacred Heart Hospital, said common symptoms of hydrocephalus are morning headaches or vomiting and severe changes in personality or behavior.