It's hard to tell just what the bigger feat is: receiving her high school diploma or walking down the aisle, up the ramp and across the stage to receive it.

When Shanna Patnode entered East Valley High School as a freshman, she was in a wheelchair, unable to walk on her own.

Four years and countless hours of physical and occupational therapy later, she'll make her way to the future on her own two feet.

And she'll probably be wearing purple.

It's her favorite color. But you'd probably be able to guess that if you saw her at school earlier this month.

She was wearing purple socks, purple pants, a purple top -- the same one she sported in her senior portrait -- and purple fingernails.

Her leg braces are purple, too. So is her hearing aid.

"I like purple 'cause it's different," says Shanna, who in addition to purple likes butterflies -- they decorate her leg braces -- "funny things, like comedy stuff," and shopping.

She strongly dislikes waking up early and is very much looking forward to sleeping in when school's out. She's also interested in taking computer and other classes at Yakima Valley Community College and eventually serving as an advocate for other young people with disabilities.

"I am happy to make people happy," says the 19-year-old, who until the start of this school year used a wheelchair to navigate the halls at East Valley.

"When she first came here, she couldn't even swallow," says special education teacher Candi Moro. "She couldn't eat solid food.

"Graduation always makes you reflect on the kids and how far they've gone, and she's come so far. It hasn't been easy."

Shanna, the youngest of Cis and Gene Patnode's three children, was in sixth grade at East Valley Intermediate School in November 2002 when she went to the doctor with severe headaches. A month later, she underwent surgery to remove a brain tumor that was, Shanna says, "about the size of a fist."

It was a slow-growing, benign ependymoma, a type of tumor that grows in the cells in the lining of the fluid-filled spaces, or ventricles, in the brain.

In Shanna's case, "the tumor was wrapped around her brain stem," her mom says, adding, "It's been a really long road for her, and she's overcome a lot of things. She has an awesome sense of humor.

"We are so proud of her it's not even funny."

A photo taken the day before the surgery -- which turned out to be the first of several -- shows a smiling girl with curly hair down to her elbows.

Photos taken after the surgery show a different picture. In the hospital, Shanna contracted aspergillus fumigatus, a fungus that attacked her brain and spine and left her unable to walk.

Between the tumor and the infection, Shanna's hearing, breathing, sight and speech have been impaired. It's often difficult for her to talk above a whisper.

"My speech is very breathy," says Shanna, who also experiences nerve pain, strength and balance problems and short-term memory loss.

"I forget very easy," she says. But, perking up, she adds, "I always got a comeback."

In all, Shanna was in the hospital about nine months.

"For so long, they thought she wouldn't make it," her teacher says. "But she did, and she's walking. She can't help but be an inspiration."

Moro has known Shanna four years. This year she has her in two classes; Shanna also likes to eat lunch in her classroom.

"She's the most amazing, strong young woman," Moro says. "She's got a great sense of humor. That's her attitude: I'll get through this."

Shanna didn't get to come home from the hospital right away. She spent another nine months in a nursing home, where she was subjected to "PT, OT and old people food."

She also missed an entire year of school, which she needed to make up. She had to start sixth grade over, and that's why she's graduating at age 19.

Last year, she completed a round of intense rehabilitation, which helped her make the transition from wheelchair to walker. She hit a speed bump at the beginning of the school year when her walker collapsed and she fell, breaking her collarbone.

These days, she goes to physical therapy about three times a week. She has a full-time caregiver. And she remains on antifungal medication as well as calcium for her bones. She also has a shunt to drain fluid from her brain.

"It's been hard," Shanna says. But, "It could be worse."

Says her mom: "She beat the odds, like, unbelievably."

Shanna documented her ordeal in her senior project, a 12-page report (not including photos) titled "Shanna & Her Brain Against the World."

She presented it to an audience while standing at a lectern, another feat.

The story started like this: "This is the story about when life gave me lemons, I made lemonade."

It continued: "Senior year -- WHOOPEE!! The end is near and I am so happy the years of waking up early are almost over. I look forward to the rest of my life."

* Adriana Janovich can be reached at 509-577-7653 or ajanovich@yakimaherald.com.

Graduation profile

Name: Shanna Patnode

Age: 19

School: East Valley High School

Notable: In sixth grade, she underwent surgery for a brain tumor and contracted a fungus that attacked her brain and spinal cord. At graduation, with the help of a walker and leg braces, she will walk down the aisle and across the stage to receive her diploma.

What's next: "Sleeping in!"

Graduation: 7 p.m. Saturday, Yakima Valley SunDome