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Brain cancer survivor story inspiring others to never give up

By Chloe Marklay

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    HONOLULU, Hawaii (KITV) — Noah Pila is a high school senior who competes for Kamehameha Schools Hawaii in canoe racing. He is not only a strong athlete and competitor, but now a resilient cancer survivor,

It was just moments after a competition that he suffered a seizure and was flown to Queen’s Medical Center for testing. That is when he and his family would receive information that would change their lives.

Noah was diagnosed with type 4 brain cancer.

His mom, Anna Golden Kaaua, says she was thankful the tumor was detected early on so it could be operated on. Noah underwent brain surgery to remove the tumor in December.

Only 6 weeks later he is back in the canoe. He helped lead his team to victory at the Big Island Interscholastic Federation and will be competing again this weekend at the HHSAA paddling championship on O’ahu at the Ke’ehi Lagoon.

Kaaua says Noah remains resilient and won’t give up. He plans to continue his passion despite the challenges that may come up.

“Noah is such a strong and determined kid that he has taken it like okay well now it’s this lets do it, so it’s been hard and challenging, I cry everyday but Noa doesn’t know that” shares Kaaua.

He still has a long road ahead of him, including going to San Francisco for treatments and expert evaluation. The countless medical bills continue to add up and Noah’s family would appreciate any support they can receive.

Click here to donate to Noah’s gofundme.

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Article Topic Follows: CNN - Regional

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