Saige’s Story of Courage and Breakthrough Care
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OU Health, the University of Oklahoma’s academic health system, exists to do what no one else can — unite world-class patient care, breakthrough research, and the education of future leaders into one unstoppable force. This is where healing and discovery walk side by side, and where stories like Saige Maxville’s remind us why we’re never done and never outdone.
A Warrior’s Beginning
At just 24 years old, Saige Maxville already had big dreams. A proud member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, she was pursuing a teaching degree in history, performing with the Tulsa Oilers Ice Girls, and rooted in family and culture. But in her teenage years, Saige’s life began to take an unexpected turn.
Saige experienced seizures that at first seemed isolated. For years, doctors could not find a cause. Eventually, an MRI revealed what no one expected — a brain tumor. At first, it looked benign. Then came more seizures, more uncertainty, and finally a devastating diagnosis: glioblastoma — one of the most aggressive brain cancers.
For a young woman in her prime, hearing that survival might be measured in months was shattering.
“For someone in their 20s, to be told you might die — it freezes you,” Saige recalled. “But I wasn’t ready to give up.”
Unstoppable Drive Meets Breakthrough Care
Saige was referred to neuro-oncologist Dr. James Battiste, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Neurosurgery at the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine.
Dr. Battiste and his team re-examined Saige’s tumor. They discovered it carried a rare mutation, BRAF V600E, and used knowledge from prior clinical trials to customize a treatment approach. Radiation, chemotherapy, and targeted therapy became part of a plan designed just for her.
Saige’s particular brain tumor was rare.
“I believe that each patient’s tumor and experience is unique,” said Dr. Battiste, “but Saige’s tumor was more so than most.”
Culture as Strength, Community as Power
The treatments were grueling. The fatigue and nausea were difficult, but it was the hair loss that affected her deeply. For Saige, hair is more than appearance — it is cultural heritage.
“In Native traditions, our hair connects us to our ancestors,” she explained.
When she lost hers, Saige and her family held a ceremonial burning, giving it back to the creator.
It was one way she carried forward the unshakable optimism of her Choctaw roots.
“My culture gave me strength. When you’re tied to something bigger than yourself, you feel power behind you.”
That resilience inspired her care team.
“Saige never said no,” Dr. Battiste shared. “Even when she was sick, she kept fighting.”
Individually Remarkable, Collectively Unstoppable
OU Health is built on selfless collaboration. The breakthroughs that shaped Saige’s treatment came from patients who volunteered for Phase I clinical trials at OU Health Stephenson Cancer Center. Though Saige was not in a trial herself, she benefitted from those who came before; proof that when discovery happens here, it changes lives everywhere.
“Saige benefitted from knowledge gained from other trials,” Dr. Battiste said. “That’s why every patient matters. Together, they make tomorrow’s treatments possible.”
For Saige, it meant more than survival. It meant ringing the survivor’s bell at Stephenson Cancer Center, standing as living proof that breakthroughs are for everyone, for all 77 counties of Oklahoma and beyond.
Our Promise to Oklahoma
OU Health takes every statistic personally. When cancer strikes a neighbor, it strikes us. Saige’s care shows what happens when research doesn’t live in a lab alone but flows directly into patient care and into the classrooms where the next generation of providers are trained.
This is the power of an academic health system. This is why OU Health exists.
Never Done, Never Outdone
Saige calls herself a warrior. In her Choctaw language, she wears the words proudly: A Warrior’s Journey. To her, it means looking fear in the eye and answering it with courage — for herself, her family, and her community.
At OU Health, the same spirit is our mission. Healing is never finished, and discovery is never final. For every patient like Saige, for every community across Oklahoma, OU Health pushes forward. Never done. Never outdone.
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