Sahara Aldridge doing well after surgery

The Aldridge family is reporting their 13-year-old daughter Sahara is doing well following surgery earlier this week to remove most of a tumor from her brain stem.

Sahara is undergoing treatment at an undisclosed location on the west coast for her brain stem tumor. Her father Shannon reported Friday that an MRI showed surgeons had removed about 70 percent of her tumor, and are now evaluating the next step in her treatment.

Shannon Aldridge said his daughter is also responding very well physically, possibly having already regained more movement and vision than she's had since the tumor was discovered over a year ago.

Shannon said Sahara is also telling doctors she doesn't need the morphine they're giving her to deal with pain.

"She's a tough kid," he said.

Sahara's blog, www.saharaaldridge.com, has been giving those concerned about the 13-year-old's progress updates throughout the week.

Aldridge was diagnosed last summer with a glioblastoma tumor on her brain stem -- a rapidly growing, dangerous form of cancer. Doctors originally told the family the tumor was inoperable, but the Aldridges sought out a neurosurgeon with a different opinion -- that the tumor, or most of it, could be removed with surgery.

Doctors now think the tumor is an astrocytoma, a less dangerous tumor often treatable by surgical removal.