September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month and while I have heard many times of friends of friends that have cancer, it is really not until someone close to you is affected when you realize how precious life really is. In January of 2010 our four year old daughter was diagnosed with ALL (Acute Lymphomic Leukemia) after complaining that her legs hurt one Friday afternoon.
While many of us have heard and know about other cancers, this one was especially heart wrenching, not just because of my daughter, but because it seems so wrong that children should have to fight this disease. They should be looking forward to growing up and experiencing everything life has to offer, not inside of a hospital or worried about side effects. But life is what it is and we get through it with love and support from everyone around us.
Our daughter is now five years old and while she will continue treatment for a couple more years, she is a happy, bright kindergarter. I watch her courage and her strength and draw from it every day. She is hope and beauty wrapped up in a tiny package. I can only move forward one day at a time and keep all those children also fighting this battle in my thoughts and prayers. They are my inspiration.
