By BETHANY SHERROW
News Editor

(WARRENSBURG, Mo., digitalBURG) — Ashley Durano knew she wanted to help people ever since she was a kid.

PHOTO BY MARIE NABORS/PHOTO EDITOR
Ashley Durano poses for a photo near the administration building on a sunny September day.

She was visiting her grandmother in the hospital when she met an older lady outside of the room who looked lonely. Durano said she talked with the woman and cheered her up. Her mom witnessed the interaction.

“My mom said, ‘Ashley, when you grow up, you’re going to find a job where you help people and make their lives better,’” Durano said.

Durano believed her.

She had a special interest in working with children, but didn’t want to become a teacher or work at a day care. She decided to become a child life specialist.

“Child life specialists usually work in hospitals and they work with children with special needs, and children who have cancer,” Durano said. “They try to occupy them with fun things to do to lead their attention away from what they’re dealing with. They also keep them informed on what’s going on.”

Durano has personal experience with childhood cancer.

“I felt like it matched with me because I’ve experienced what they’ve experienced,” Durano said. “When I was 5 years old I found out that I had a brain tumor. The journey has led me to this.”

She said her life changed because of the brain tumor, even though they were able to operate when she was 12.

“The tumor went away after high school because of the surgery,” Durano said. “But I still have side effects and I still have to take medication.”

She takes a growth hormone shot every day, has scoliosis, double vision, seizures, problems with memory and learning disabilities including word comprehension problems.

Durano said the seizures have been particularly difficult because they have prevented her from getting her driver’s license.

“I faint and then after a couple minutes I wake up not remembering people,” she said. “You have to tell me where I am, what’s going on, and who you are. I would even forget my parents, but then after a while, once they tell me what’s going on, I remember. I have to be able to stand without fainting for four months before I get my driver’s license.”

Having the brain tumor has hurt Durano’s social life.

She said she spent much of her childhood in hospitals and missed out on many opportunities to interact with other children her age. During her junior and senior year of high school she became depressed, but she said she was able to get through it with the support of the Brain Tumor Education and Therapy support group at St. Louis Children’s Hospital.

“Patients who have brain tumors go and learn about more things and get support, but also the families can go and learn about how to get help and get through it,” she said.

The most important thing she learned from the group and what helped pull her out of her depressive state was realizing she was not alone.

“There is always someone else going through what you’re going through; like cancer, depression or stress. Everyone goes through stress in their life,” she said.

Durano said she’s been able to get to know some people in college, but she’s still searching to make a deep connection of friendship with someone her own age. She said her mom is kind of like a best friend to her for now.

“My mom is the one who’s always been there and taught me,” she said. “She inspires me and she encourages me.”

Durano wants to branch out more and she said she’s slowly improving her social skills.

“Lately I’ve been trying to get myself out there, to talk more in class,” Durano said. “I used to be really nervous about saying something wrong.”

A side effect of her brain tumor is that it takes her longer to process questions. She said when teachers call on her it takes her longer than most of the other students to comprehend and answer. She is learning to get over the fear of messing up and tell people what is going on.

“I’m comfortable telling anyone about it because it teaches them that being different is not really a problem,” she said.

Durano said sometimes she just wants to scream when she has a lot of homework to do or she doesn’t have anyone to hang out with. She said she navigates college life using the same simple motto she used to beat her brain tumor: stay positive.

“I know sometimes that can be really hard for some people,” Durano said. “They think that there is no way around it. But, you know, there is always a way and you’re not alone.”