Malia’s Story

Malia Croom was a typical 3-year-old when one day she began experiencing back pain so severe she could not walk.

Malia was taken to a local emergency room and after tests, was rushed to Batson Children’s Hospital, where specialists discovered Malia had a large tumor on her spine known as an osteoblastoma. An osteoblastoma is a rare, benign tumor that has high reoccurrence rates. Doctors at Batson Children’s Hospital removed Malia’s osteoblastoma five times in two years. Thankfully, the tumor has not regrown in the last two years. Despite these challenges, Malia has never stopped being a happy 7-year-old who enjoys singing, dancing, and going to church.