My Inspiration~ Miss you Brielle!!
On August 13, 2003, our oldest daughter, Brielle (who was 4 &1/2 at the time) was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. (ALL) We were told by her oncologist that she would need 2 & 1/2 years of treatment to cure her of this cancer. In November of 2005, two days before Thanksgiving, as she was finishing up what should have been the last of her chemotherapy treatments, her doctor discovered that the cancer had returned! Due to this relapse we were told that Brielle would need a bone marrow transplant. Our younger daughter, Jaclyn, was identified as a PERFECT bone marrow donor for Brielle, dramatically increasing her chances of survival. On March 3, 2006, Jaclyn gave Brielle the gift of life. Thank you Jaclyn ~ you and Brielle will have a special bond that will last forever. When Brielle had the total body radiation and chemotherapy injected into her spine during her transplant ,,,a malformation of blood vessels formed in her brain which meant brain surgery,,,,that took place in June of 2009.
Our family thought that we were DONE with this horrible disease until July 29, 2011. That BEAST called cancer was once again attacking Brielle's 12 year old body. Now in the form of osteosarcoma which is a very rare form of bone cancer. Only 600 people a year are diaganosed with this type of cancer. What started off as a "bump on her leg" put our family back on that emotional and heart wrenching roller coaster ride for the next 12 months. She had two major surgeries to try to rid her body of this cancer. On October 7th, Brielle had a 10 hour limb salvage surgery on her left leg to remove a very aggressive tumor that had been growing. Then on December 15, 2011, she had another long surgery where the surgeon removed over 80 nodules from her lungs. I so wish that the following sentences that I had written back in March of 2012 were true,,,, ~Brielle still has many more chemotherapy treatments to make sure that THIS cancer is gone for good! Brielle is " Not Afraid" of Cancer & will beat this again! Sadly I have to write that cancer stole my beautiful 13 year old daughter, who was also THE BEST sister, granddaughter, niece, cousin, and friend on August 26, 2012. Brielle was AMAZING!!!!!! Our family should have celebrated her Sweet 16 with her HERE with us ~ not at a cemetery releasing 16 purple balloons filled with messages from her friends and family. We should be out buying her a used car, looking at colleges, planning a HS graduation party for her in two years. This list can go on and on and on. Instead, I am left imagining what life could have (SHOULD HAVE) been like for our beautiful Brielle. I would bet my life that she would have fulfilled her dreams of becoming a child life specialist by day and a gourmet chef/ piano player by night! You were one talented young lady with THE BEST SMILE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love you Brielle!!! You have been an inspiration to so many people. I truly believe that you have and will continue to live on in the hearts of everyone that were blessed to have known you.
ThAnK YoU everyone for your continued love & support.
Tammy
