UGA student being treated for brain tumor in Jacksonville dies, her mom says in PostHope.org update

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A University of Georgia student who was diagnosed with a brain tumor after a spring break trip to Mexico and was being treated in Jacksonville has died, according to a message posted on her family’s PostHope.org site.

Liza Burke, a senior at UGA, was on her last spring break trip in Cabo San Lucas last month when she got a headache and went to lie down. Her boyfriend later found her unconscious.

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She was rushed to a hospital in Mexico where she was diagnosed with a brain bleed initially thought to have been caused by an anterior venous malformation (AVM).

Burke was flown back to a hospital in Jacksonville, where she was diagnosed with a tumor near her brain stem.

Burke underwent three weeks of radiation before the family met with doctors and made the decision to stop her treatment because she wasn’t responding to it.

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Here is the full message from Burke’s mother Laura posted on the PostHope.org page:

“It is with both relief and belief that I share Liza’s passing at around 2:20 last night. Liza has now been reunited with her sister and they are making up for lost time!

“After the movie ended, Bryan and I went upstairs to sleep while Jack slept hand in hand with his sister. Once he fell asleep and the only eyes on Liza were those of her “other mother”, Liza took a final breath, sighed, and transitioned into the next realm. Beane, the dog quickly sensed it and was downstairs while I was being awakened.

“After Hospice was called, we dressed Liza in colorful pajamas, gifted by her boyfriend’s mother and Jack’s girlfriend, Elli, braided her hair. Liza’s dad, uncle, and a few of my UGA friends came in to say their goodbyes.

“Celebrations of Liza’s big energy are in the planning stages: one held by her friends will be in Athens and another at a later date in her hometown of Asheville.

“We’re also setting up a fund at the Foundation of the Carolinas in Liza (and Edie’s) names for educational purposes. Some will go directly to an endowment at the University of Georgia, and we hope to direct some funds to further the education of Liza’s students in San Pancho, Mexico.

“More details will follow.💗💗💪⚔️💛💗💗”

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