Tri-City teen cancer fighter is West Richland police chief for a day

For one day, Lana McDowell got to head up West Richland’s police department.

The 13-year-old Enterprise Middle School student rode on a high-speed course on the West Richland race course, arrested her principal and ran her own news conference as the city’s first “Chief for a Day.”

McDowell has spent the better part of the last year battling brain cancer. When she was 12, doctors found a baseball-sized tumor. It was diagnosed as choriod plexus carcinoma, a rare malignant brain tumor that occurs mainly in children.

Doctors were able to remove the tumor, but the cancer returned six months later. She started a course of radiation and chemotherapy in February, finishing in August.

Her parents, Jodi and Brian McDowell, said she has been doing better since finishing chemotherapy, and has been excited to return to class.

“She’s getting her eyelashes back, her eyebrows,” Jodi said. “Enterprise has been great, a great support to our family. She wants to go to school every day. She gets there about 9 a.m., about an hour late, but she stays all day.”

The McDowells are hopeful that the treatment will be successful, and the tumor doesn’t grow. Every three months, they will return to the hospital for checkups.

They have been amazed by the community of people who have supported them throughout the process.

“It’s been really amazing,” Brian said. “You hear all of the bad stuff about people, but this has brought out the best of people.”

Chief for a day

One mom at Three Rivers HomeLink where Jodi is a teacher asked if Lana would like to be West Richland’s first Chief for a Day.

The program is aimed at celebrating children who show characteristics such as honor, commitment integrity and teamwork.

“The hope is to provide these children with a day of fun and experiences they will never forget and will stay with them through their lives,” said West Richland Police Chief Thomas Grego.

The department said Lana has stayed positive and loves to help where she can.

“Having spent the day with Lana, I can confirm that her smile lights up this whole police department,” Grego said.

They also pointed out the Lana was the first female to be chief in West Richland.

Lana, who was nervous before her news conference, said her favorite parts of the day were riding on the high-speed course and her father getting bit by Benton County sheriff’s police dog.

The Richland School District also put up a sign congratulating Chief Lana.

She also had all of the officers wear lavender ribbons with butterflies.

The color lavender represents supporting the fight against all types of cancer and the butterflies symbolize life, rebirth and hope, she told reporters.

Surviving Cancer

Along with losing her hair, the chemotherapy left her barely able to walk because of neuropathy.

Lana stayed positive because of her connections with family and friends, she said. People would visit and she used FaceTime to talk to people who couldn’t.

“Another thing that I did was visualize life after chemo and how different it would be when I was able to do some of my normal things again,” she said.

“If I were to talk to other kids battling cancer, I would tell them to talk about it and to cry about it when they want to,” she said. “I would also tell them to find something that brings them joy and do it.”

She also urged people to talk to family members or friends suffering from cancer. It can be hard to know what to say, but reaching out can make a big difference.

“Just because they have cancer doesn’t mean that they have changed,” she said. “Just be you.”

Jodi and Brian said they have also worked to stay positive through the experience.

“I feel like we are really learning how to live truly like we might not get our next day,” Jodi said.

This story was originally published October 6, 2022 at 1:00 PM.