A student in Montreal West is being recognized for her courage after she returned to class following a brain aneurysm. It all started with headaches for Aria Calla. “It really hurt my head. I didn’t really know what was going on,” she recalled in an interview. Her parents, Alissa Marchei and Rafael Calla, weren’t taking any chances so they brought their daughter to the emergency room. An MRI in March revealed a brain aneurysm. “The location of her aneurysm is very rare. They told us less than 1 per cent of the population has this type of aneurysm,” Marchei said. Doctors made a plan and Aria began extensive treatments and multiple complex brain surgeries at the Neuro. She missed a significant part of the school year, but she kept up with her studies with the help of tutors at the English Montreal School Board (EMSB). Still, Aria says being away had its downsides. “The school, the teachers [ but] not the homework,” she joked. Her determination didn’t go unnoticed at Edinburgh Elementary School. “She still managed to finish the third trimester, which is a beautiful achievement, with very good grades. She kept on persevering,” said school principal Laetitia Kachmar. Now, Aria is back in class and in September, she was named the EMSB’s Student of the Month. With follow-up MRIs and doctor appointments still part of Aria’s routine every couple of months, she is still trying to figure out what comes next. “But even now, I’m not back to normal. I can’t do the things that I love, like gymnastics and other things. But I learned to do new things,” she said, including dancing, painting, and cooking. Aria shares it all on her YouTube account. And through it all, her friends have been there. “I like playing with her at recess. I’m happy and proud of her,” said her friend, Megan Dewar. Sofia Biscotti added: “I was really sad. I needed her.” Aria says their friendship has become part of her recovery. Her parents want Aria’s story to reach other families. “Hopefully, it inspires other children and parents that regardless of what happens in somebody’s life and circumstances and what they may have to face, that they can overcome it and they can overcome it with a smile and a positive outlook like Aria has,” her father said. For Aria, it’s one step at a time, one day at a time. And she’s inviting people to follow her journey on her YouTube channel.
