When trying to sit down to write Jillian’s story - I kept thinking how I could share it from so many different perspectives that I became overwhelmed with how much we have been through the last 12 years. Yes, it has been over 12 years since our beautiful little girl was diagnosed with brain cancer. Somehow it feels like both yesterday and an eternity ago. That first year was filled with learning medical terminology and having brain surgery, MRIs, port placement, Gtube surgery, and countless diagnostic tests, labs, chemotherapy infusions and radiation that we thought felt never ending — turned out that would only be a smidgeon of what Jillian has ended up having to endure. She has had 3 relapses of her original diagnosis of Medulloblastoma which included years more of treatment and side effects. Then last July, Jillian had a scare of another Medullo relapse. We were soo grateful to find out after a nerve racking 2 week wait for results that the brain biopsy was negative. It was such a huge sigh of relief. Our beautiful & brave warrior was free of cancer!!! Little did we know just a few days later life was about to once again come to a screeching halt. Jillian woke up in the middle of the night with what seemed like indigestion. We tried some home remedies but Jillian just felt something was not right. When she asked to go to the ER at 3am the worry really set in. Jillian, who never complains, felt that something was wrong. Sadly, she was right. She was diagnosed with a secondary cancer of Tcell Acute Lymphoblastic Lymphoma later that day. It was completely out of the blue. A huge mass had grown in her chest compressing her lungs and heart. We were in utter shock! The day before she walked the boardwalk end to end enjoying time with her Best Friend who had flown in for a much anticipated visit to celebrate their High School Graduations. How could this be happening…again? To tell you how much this 5th and new diagnosis has rocked us all to the core and has been so challenging to navigate is an understatement. No one could ever be prepared to hear the words “your child has cancer” but for my husband and I it has been a life shattering FIVE times! When you take a moment to comprehend that it really makes you wonder how we ever got through all we have and still continue to live every day with what cancer has done to change our lives. Never in our wildest dreams could we ever imagine this happening to our healthy, beautiful baby girl. Our baby girl who has grown up in hospitals up and down the east coast chasing clinical trials to help cure her disease. Our baby girl and now young woman who fought so hard for soo many years through not only cancer treatment and its many side effects, but also through her academic years from the end of first grade through graduating high school, and unfortunately missing her planned acceptance to Muhlenberg College. She has truly learned the value and importance of true friendship, support, kindness, giving back and so much more. I could write pages upon pages about her treatments from Lehigh then and now, to Philly, Florida and New York to DC, but I’m sure that would be tough to read as much as it would be tough for us to endure reliving to write. Cancer stole so much from our family and changed our life path forever. Jillian fights this new fight with such grace as she has since the beginning. This year has been the most difficult year of our lives - we still have another year to go before Jillian completes her treatment protocol. We ask for your prayers as we continue to navigate this journey and continue to pray for Jillian to remain cancer free forevermore. ~ GO GOLD for Pediatric Cancer Awareness Month in September and ALWAYS!