VAN NUYS : Life, Relearning: Girl Overcomes Tumors, Coma

Imagine having to learn how to eat, walk, talk and master junior high math in only 18 months.

This is what 14-year-old Stefanie Gabler--who woke up from a coma with no memory after surgery for a brain tumor--had to do to finish the seventh and eighth grades.

“I had to relearn everything,” said Stefanie, who lives in Van Nuys with her parents. Although her energy flags at times, she seems no different from any other teen-ager.

“When I first came home, I got real frustrated that I couldn’t do some things,” she said. “I worked really hard to graduate.”

On Thursday Stefanie graduated eighth grade with her 34 classmates from Valley School in Van Nuys. The ceremony marked the first time she had been reunited with her schoolmates since January, 1993.

That was when Stefanie, complaining of headaches, was found to have two brain tumors. She underwent two surgeries to remove the growths, after which she slipped into a coma for two months.

When Stefanie woke up in March, she was blind and barely able to function. But her condition improved and she soon let her parents, Sophia and Steven Gabler, know that she wanted to finish school. The Gablers hired a home teacher and eventually Stefanie was doing school lessons in English, geography, history and art along with her physical therapy.

There was another surgery in October, but soon thereafter Stefanie completed her seventh-grade course work.

In at least one subject, she greatly improved. “I’m a lot better at math,” she said, crediting her tutor, Victoria Pellikka. “That was my worst subject.”

Stefanie received more than emotional support from her school. Her medical bills had climbed to over $1 million, $200,000 of which was uninsured. To help, the private school held a car wash and other fund raisers to net nearly $9,000 for the family.

Vice Principal Joyce Collins, who used to be her seventh-grade history teacher, summed up the feelings at the school: “She is truly a miracle child.”

For her fellow students, the miracle was that they had their friend back. “It’s pretty much unbelievable that she could go through all that and still be the same person she was,” said Ashlie Passon, 14, of Redondo Beach, who has known Stefanie since elementary school.

Stefanie hopes to attend school again, on her way to becoming a veterinarian. Meanwhile, she hopes her miracle can serve to send a message to other students who find school a struggle.

“Education is very important and you have no excuse,” said Stefanie. “You have to keep studying no matter what happens.”