Last month at this time, the Krahn family was at a crucial juncture. Tiarra Krahn, a young mother of three from Winkler, was grappling with the discovery that she had a life-threatening brain stem tumour surrounded by cysts that reached partially down her spine. After consulting with doctors in the province, Krahn was informed that the condition would not respond to medication. The only recourse was surgery. To complicate matters, there was no surgeon in Manitoba willing to attempt the complex procedure. Despite the news, the Krahns did not give up, even as the tumour was threatening to cause permanent damage with every passing day. Krahn and her husband, Jordan, eventually received word from the Mayo Clinic, a world-renowned healthcare centre, that the specialized surgery would be a possibility at its facility in Rochester, Minnesota, but there was still a major hurdle: the $350,000 price tag. Now, a month later, after an overwhelming show of support from a community that rallied around Krahn, there is finally some good news to share. The surgery — funded in large part by the community — was a resounding success. A large amount in a short amount of time The journey to this nearly miraculous conclusion involved efforts from Krahn’s whole family. As Tiarra and Jordan focussed on the former’s care, their other family members turned to the community to help fund the life-saving procedure. The Pembina Valley responded immediately. In addition to a GoFundMe page and a savings account at Access Credit Union, a successful fundraising event for Krahn, complete with dinner, activities, and an auction, was also hosted by Dusty Ridge Equine Centre on July 31st. Related stories: 'Time is of the essence’ for young mother with brain stem tumour Today, Krahn reports that thanks to the community’s support, which includes nearly $80,000 raised from GoFundMe alone, her surgery is paid for. The procedure also went about as well as she and her family hoped it would. From one extreme to the next Krahn, who received her procedure two weeks ago, said the path to where she is now has been a long one. “It's been almost a year now that we found the whole thing out, and it was a lot of high emotions and low emotions,” she said. “We had been told so many different things — it was one extreme to the next, so dealing with that has been a lot, but we're happy to be on the other side of it and kind of into the recovery side and looking into the future.” “I said it seems so unrealistic because it's such a gigantic number, but family and everyone just came to me and said, ‘Tiarra, don't let money be part of your thought process.’ They said, ‘We will figure that out.’" -Tiarra Krahn on being faced with the prospect of raising $350,000 for her life-saving surgery. Krahn said that throughout the process, the support her family has seen has gone far beyond financial. “We've had so many people offer to help with our kids, with doing the fundraiser, with just being there for us, and it's meant everything to us,” she said. “People [have been] telling us that they're praying for us, that they're there for us. The calls, the texts, the visits — everything has been amazing.” 'Don’t let money be part of your thought process’ Krahn’s family also played a significant role in encouraging her to consider the Mayo Clinic despite being an out-of-country option that comes with financial hurdles. For her, the prospect of raising $350,000 was daunting. “I said it seems so unrealistic because it's such a gigantic number, but family and everyone just came to me and said, ‘Tiarra, don't let money be part of your thought process.’ They said, ‘We will figure that out.’ That's really what put us at ease.” Krahn added that the confidence of the doctor she met with at the Mayo Clinic, who had experience with cases like hers, also reassured her and her husband in their decision to receive care at the clinic. 'I didn't know if I'd wake up being able to walk or able to breathe on my own’ Krahn said that she got her surgery on August 12th. Two days beforehand, she travelled to Rochester with her parents, sibling, husband, and children. One moment that stands out to her is the day before the surgery, on which she spent meaningful time with her family that was laced with some nerves. “We had a good day and just focussed on the kids,” she said. “Then my surgery was first thing in the morning on Tuesday.” During the 5-hour surgery, doctors located and removed a stage 2 ependymoma, which is the lowest grade of this type of spinal tumour. “I think we have a great community, and I love my family to pieces. The Lord has blessed us greatly with a good family, the community itself, and church people praying.” -Suzi Wall on the support the community has provided to her daughter during her battle with a brain tumour. Krahn said that the procedure went smoothly. “They were able to take the whole thing out. As far as they know, they got clean margins,” she said. “That was a huge deal for us as well that they were able to get the whole thing.” Because the entire tumour was removed, Krahn said there is a lower chance of its return. For Krahn, it’s difficult to express the extent of her gratitude concerning the surgery’s outcome. Related stories: 'Time is of the essence’ for young mother with brain stem tumour She said that beforehand, she was warned of “so many” worst-case scenarios. “I didn't know if I'd wake up being able to walk or able to breathe on my own,” she said. “I remember waking up in the recovery room, and I was very groggy, but slowly things were starting to come back, and then I realized that my feet were moving and I was breathing .... It was just one blessing after another.” ‘The Lord has blessed us’ When Suzi Wall, Krahn’s mother, talks about the support her daughter has received through a difficult journey, she becomes emotional, as any mother would. “I think we have a great community, and I love my family to pieces,” she said. “The Lord has blessed us greatly with a good family, the community itself, and church people praying.” Wall said that without prayer, she doesn’t believe that the family could have accomplished what it has with fundraising. She added that without it, she also wouldn’t have been able to have as much confidence as she did in the doctor to whom she entrusted her daughter’s life. “It was just this journey that I think the Lord gave us that we needed to go through, and I just want to give him all the honour and glory because without him, I don't think we would be here today,” she said. “I just want to be able to take care of [my children] again properly. It'll just be nice not to have this hanging over our heads constantly. Just to live life.” -Tiarra Krahn on her plans for the future Krahn added that she has appreciated the efforts of her sisters, who have worked tirelessly to help raise funds for their niece, and the community, which has shown its generosity in full measure. “I just want to say thank you to everybody so much for your support through finances, through prayers, through just encouraging words. It's meant everything to us, and we are so thankful that we live where we live with the people that we do,” said Krahn. “We live in a great community,” added Wall. What’s next? Now that the Krahns have put a difficult chapter behind them, it’s time to look toward the future. For Krahn, it continues to come back to family. “I just want to be able to take care of [my children] again properly,” she said. “It'll just be nice not to have this hanging over our heads constantly. Just to live life. My oldest is starting school in a month, and I’m looking at all the fun things that we can do together in the coming months and years.” Krahn added that her family, who have been there for the tears, fears, frustrations, triumphs, and everything in between, is the “most important” to her. “I love my family so much, and I could not have gone through this without them. They have been my backbone,” she said. With files from Connie Bailey