literature

Isabelle Gives Me Hope

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Literature Text

Isabelle – She's 4 years old and has curly blonde hair that flows down to the middle of her back. She enjoys ice cream, playing outside in the rain, and reading.
She dislikes watching sports, going to church, and having her older brother away at college halfway across the world. Technically, it's three states away but it feels like the whole earth to her.

About three weeks ago her parents started noticing she consistently had a fever and would frequently have nosebleeds up to twice a day. Then her lymph nodes started becoming swollen in her neck so they took her into a specialist. Isabelle has now been diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, a cancer that affects lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell. Leukemic cells gather in bone marrow, replace normal blood cells and spread to other organs.

She's set to start chemo next week and her hair will no longer be down to her shoulders.
It's been a month since Iz started chemo and there are no visible signs of improvement. Her parents are terrified, yet she is strong. She no longer has a sweet tooth for ice cream and her playtime is kept strictly indoors but she still reads like always, possibly in the hopes of becoming lost in the dream worlds contained on each page she flips through.

She watches Sunday Night Football with her dad every week now because she sees how happy it makes him.

She still doesn't go to church but she now prays every day because she knows sometimes God listens to you and grants your wish. The fact that her brother has taken the semester off to be her stronghold is a perfect example. The doctors don't know if Isabelle will make it through but she vows to never lose hope; and that gives me hope.

I once asked her what the best part of her life was. Her answer was simple, but I'll never forget the words that spilled from her innocent mouth.

"Because I am sick, my family is always here with me. I may be dying, but I've never felt more alive."
NOTE: If you enjoyed this and would like to see the series continued, please let me know.

part 1 of a new series i am considering starting about children with cancers and the struggles they endure. it's amazing how these kids have such a positive outlook on life when they are forced to go through so much. they give me hope.

comments greatly appreciated.

these words are my heart. a very caring heart.
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That last line is so sweet, and another brilliant piece. These kids put most people to shame, they deal with so much