Faith, Hope and Love...For Hannah

She wasn’t there when we first arrived. So I looked around to see who else was there. There weren’t too many people. I was a little disappointed. But then, it was still early. Maybe things would pick up when she arrived.

I looked around to see if I could find, BJ, the organizer of the event. She is also my former sister-in-law and a very dear friend. She is one of those people that would give you her last dollar – and then find a way to give you a few more. That’s what she was doing today. Finding a way to give someone an extra dollar.

BJ was busy still doing some last minute set up. I went over to talk to her – to see if there was anything I could do to help. But I was more in the way, so I moved to a corner with Tami and Livi – my daughter and granddaughter. Tami had talked me into going along with her today. I had felt uncomfortable – I didn’t really know anyone except BJ and her daughter, Carlee. Tami had said, “How do you think SHE feels? Don’t you think she is a little uncomfortable too?” That made me stop whining. Tami was right. What did I have to feel uncomfortable about? I was healthy. My kids and my grandkids were healthy. That’s why I was here.

After a little while, she finally walked in. You would have thought she was a movie star. I swear the crowd – and it was a bigger crowd now – parted as she walked down the aisle. Her mother was right behind her. She looked good. She was shining. Not just her eyes, either. But her whole face was shining. She was excited to be here. I hadn’t met her before, so she didn’t know who I was. But she knew Tami. Tami had gone to see her before. Today she wore blue jeans and black velvet boots that were adorned with rhinestones in the back. She also wore a white, painter’s style cap with a beaded peace sign on it. She was absolutely beautiful! I had seen pictures of her before – BJ is also an awesome photographer. But none of the pictures had done her justice. She was just gorgeous.

She looked younger than she was. I don’t know if that was due to her circumstances – or if she would have been tiny no matter what. But as small as she was, she looked so strong. Stronger than she should have been, considering.

She sat down and soon the bands, the singers began to play. All of them began by saying something nice about her. “We are all here for a special young lady today. This is all for you, Hannah! Take a bow!” She would grin from ear to ear when they called her name. Her smile was brighter than the house lights.

After a little bit, Hannah began to play pool with some of the other kids that were there. If you didn’t know any better, you wouldn’t know that she was any different than the other kids. Unless she were to take of her cap. Then you might wonder why she had no hair.

In 2011, Hannah’s mom discovered that Hannah had rhabdomyosarcoma. Rhabdomyosarcoma is a rare form of childhood cancer that affects the muscles and tissue around the bones. It can happen anywhere in the body. For Hannah, it started with a backache that wouldn’t go away. Testing and surgery revealed this monstrous cancer wrapped around her spinal cord and spreading to her lungs and hips. After three weeks of constant chemotherapy and radiation – something no child should ever have to go through – she was put on just chemotherapy. She is still fighting this battle – but from what little I have seen of her – she is tough and she will win this battle.

But today was a time to get away from all of that. Today was time to just be a kid again and have fun. To listen to music and have her picture taken with wonderful musicians who gave selflessly of their time and talent. Today was just for her and for everyone to see how special Hannah really is…and I got to see that. She really is pretty special.

• Rhabdomyosarcoma usually is diagnosed before a child’s tenth birthday
• Affects boys more than girls
• Affects soft tissues, including muscles, tendons, fibrous tissues, nerves, blood vessels, fat and the tissue that surrounds your bones
• Embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma is seen most often in children under age 5. This form often affects the head and neck, bladder, vagina or prostate and testicles.

• Alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma occurs in all age groups and often affects the large muscles of the arms, legs and trunk.

Hannah has a Facebook page. Check it out here: https://www.facebook.com/FaithHopeLoveForHannah