Doctors in Florida diagnose UGA student who fell ill on spring break with a brain tumor

The brain condition that led to the critical illness of a University of Georgia senior on spring break in early March has been diagnosed as a brain tumor, according to a recently updated GoFundMe page.

Radiation treatments were to begin this week for Liza Burke at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Fla., according to her mother, Laura Burke.

Burke, a student from Asheville, N.C., was on spring break two weeks ago in Cabo San Lucas in Mexico, when she became unresponsive in her room after complaining of a headache. She ended up on life support at a hospital.

An update was posted late last week by her mother, who reported to friends and those who made donations toward her medical expenses, that the tumor on her brain stem likely lay dormant for many years before it became aggressive.

Sick student:UGA student suffering from brain hemorrhage moves to Florida hospital

Initially, medical authorities believed she fell victim to Arteriovenous malformation (AVM), which targets blood vessels that caused her brain to hemorrhage, according to Jennifer Ritter of Athens, who originally posted the page seeking donations.

Burke was flown from Mexico to the Mayo Clinic for her medical care.

Burke’s mother reported that her daughter will not have a full pathology report until several days, but the radiologist planned to start radiation on Monday. Laura Burke said her daughter will receive 30 radiation sessions daily over the next five to six weeks, but she is breathing on her own.

“She’s the leader in this fight, but we are her warriors marching into battle with her,” Laura Burke said.