National

Her First Fight Was for Life: A Mother’s Cry for Help

NASSAU, BAHAMAS – Baby Janiah Dean was born with a tumor the size of a football on the the left side of her face, which was later found to be cancerous.

Published

6 hours ago

April 1, 2026

Chinasa Outten

NASSAU , BAHAMAS – Imagine finding out that your unborn child could be in distress, even before drawing her first breath.

Or worse, that her successful birth, only marked the start of the biggest fight to come – all this while medical bills continue to pile up.

Jerome Sawyer has the story of both the story of a mother and daughter now in need of your help.

Trudy Dean said at just 21 weeks pregnant, doctors discovered a small lump on her baby’s face.

At first, they believed it was nothing serious, but as her baby grew so did the mass.

Dean was then told her case was too complex for treatment here, forcing her to seek medical care abroad.

At 35 weeks pregnant and in pain, she was urged to get on the next available flight.

Last October, baby Janiah Dean was born, surrounded by nearly 30 doctors.

She entered the world with a tumor the size of a football on the the left side of her face, which was later found to be cancerous.

Doctors rushed to perform a grueling 10-hour surgery on 12 day old Janiah..

Trudy Dean-Mother, Janiah Dean

“Thankfully, with the 10-hour surgery, they had to remove, they were confident they removed everything. They wanted to do chemotherapy with Janiah, but I kind of refused it because she’s so small and fragile. So they did more investigation and they realized that they were able to remove all of the tumor, so she is now in a clinical trial where they are observing it for the first five years of her life”

And while that surgery brought hope, Janiah’s journey was far from over.

Trudy Dean-Mother, Janiah Dean

“She has to get reconstructive ear surgery. She has to get dental work done. She has to get, I think, maybe seven, a hearing aid on her left side of her ear. But she is here, she is fighting. She’s letting everybody know she wants to be here. She’s so brave and I’ve never seen somebody so strong in my life…God has been showing me that she has a purpose and he has given us time. And I’m so grateful.”

Behind that strength is a mother, who is quietly enduring her own pain.

Watching little Janiah fight for every breath has been an experience, she said no parent should ever have to endure.

Trudy Dean-Mother, Janiah Dean

“it’s a lot seeing her turning purple and like literally, like they have to bring her back to life. They have to bag her to bring her back. It’s like, I’ve been seeing it so much. Sometimes I feel like I’m used to it and I shouldn’t feel that way, but I know she’s fighting. I try to give her good energy when I’m around her.”

With medical bills are at $92,000 and climbing trudy is turning to the public for help..

If you want to help, donations can be made directly to Trudy Dean or through her Gofundme page.