Meet Ana

Once upon a time, there lived a beautiful girl with eyes the color of lapis and honey brown hair that fell to her shoulders. She loved to sing. Her voice was soulful and wise beyond her years. She loved animals, especially frogs, cats and a tiny dog named Roo. When she smiled, her whole face lit up. When she cried, it was impossible not to cry with her. She was my firstborn and her name was Ana.

I know this sounds like the beginning of a fairy tale, but there’s no magic in Ana’s story. Ana was diagnosed with cancer at age 11 and would go on to fight her cancer for nearly five years. She was fiercely, willfully, bravely, and wholeheartedly determined to live. There’s no happy ending here. Ana died on March 22nd, 2017 at the age of 15.

Ana music, art, animals, and spending time with her friends. She was a bright, sensitive soul who was short changed, like so many children diagnose d with this ruthless, heartbreaking disease. You can read more about her at Healing Ana – at least, for a while. I’ll probably take that site down in the next year or two.