‘Her courage was inspirational.’ Beloved Hanford High freshman dies of brain cancer

A beloved Tri-Cities teen died this week after a 3-year battle with brain cancer.

Lana McDowell, 15, had just finished her freshman year at Hanford High School, according to a Monday message sent to families and staff from school officials.

“To know Lana was to love Lana,” wrote Principal Mike Johnson. “Her kindness, joy, and sense of humor were contagious; her dedication to excellence was relentless; and her courage was inspirational.”

“Lana’s mom shared with me today how much she loved her school, her friends, and the staff at Hanford,” Johnson wrote.

The Tri-Cities rallied around Lana, her parents Brian and Jodi, and her family in 2021 when it was revealed the teen needed to undergo immediate surgery to remove a large, baseball-sized brain tumor.

Supporters helped raise $43,000 for the family and hosted a candlelight vigil to show support for the 12 year old.

Surgery revealed it was cancerous — a rare malignant tumor called choriod plexus carcinoma, which is mostly found in children, according to GoFundMe updates.

Doctors removed the tumor, but the cancer returned six months later in February 2022, and she underwent several months of chemotherapy treatment in Seattle.

Lana finished her radiation treatment in August 2022, and a few months later served as “Chief for a Day” in her home town of West Richland.

In November 2023, the family learned that Lana’s cancer had metastasized — this time not only in the form of a brain tumor, but two tumors in her spine, according to updates.

On Monday, Lana’s principal said her “warm smile will be missed, but not forgotten.”