Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Another Angel Gets Her Wings...

I'll be your cloud up in the sky
I'll be your shoulder when you cry
I'll hear you voices when you call me
I am your angel
And when all hope is gone, I'm here
No matter how l far you are, I'm near
I'm your angel
Celine Dion~I'm Your Angel

Over the course of my journey I have found several other families that have leukemia on CaringBridge that I have begun to follow. One that touched me greatly was Olivia Culpepper. She was 3 years old when she was diagnosed with Leukemia. She went into remission, to relapse and go through a bone marrow transplant. This was not enough for this little girl to endure. God had more testing for this sweet angel.
Olivia with BFF Stuffy Bear just checked into MD Anderson~2009

In 2009, Olivia came out of remission for the 2nd time. With her momma  and BFF Stuffy Bear always by her side, the very brave threesome left their family in Georgia to go to MD Anderson in Texas. Olivia has an older brother and sister. After months of being away for the 2nd bone marrow transplant, Olivia and her mom were able to make it home on December 23, 2009 just in time to be a family for Christmas. Olivia was thriving and doing very well. She even made it back to school part-time. It is very important for 1st graders to be at school.
Olivia and BFF Stuffy Bear after 2nd bone marrow transplant~2009

Olivia celebrated her 7th birthday with a huge hometown birthday party, got to play in snow and spend time with her big brother and sister.  A huge highlight was that Make -A-Wish gave them a trip to Walt Disney World in March. Even then the monster did not leave them alone and Olivia ended up in the hospital in Florida. But that did not stop this beautiful little girl from enjoying her visit to Walt Disney World.

These words are from Olivia herself...spelling and all:
HI. THIS IS ME. OLIVIA. YESTERDAY I GOT TO MEET MINNIE AND MICKEY AND THEY SIGNED MY SHOES. (mom's edit; this was the Disney character meet and greet. They signed her stuffed Mickeys shoes!) MINNIE SIGNS WITH HEARTS OVER HER I'S AND XOXO. THAT IS HUGS AND KISSES. AND I ATE RASPBERRY ICE CREAM FOR LUNCH ONE DAY. LAST NIGHT I GOT TO SEE THE CASTLE AND THE FIRE WORKS. I LISTENED TO BELLE TELL A STORY AND SAW TINKERBELL FLY. BUT I DID NOT FEEL LIKE MEETING THEM. I DO NOT FEEL SO GOOD. I AM BACK IN THE HOSPITAL. I MISS DISNEY WORLD. MAYBE I CAN GO BACK SOME DAY. THAT IS ALL . LOVE . OLIVIA..
~Tuesday, March 30, 2010~CaringBridge Post
Olivia with BFF Stuffy Bear and IV pole at Walt Disney World~2010

Everything was moving along with a few bumps in the road. Life was good for little Olivia and she seemed to have finally beat this monster. Olivia wished everyone a Happy Mother's Day on 
May 9, 2010. She often wrote on her CaringBridge page and told jokes all the time. In 5 short days Olivia would be in the hospital with breathing difficulties.  She has pneumonia among other things. (no bone marrow, no white blood cell count, and bleeding out). Each day she declined further and further.

Olivia Grace Culpepper joined Heather in Heaven today at 12:15 pm.
 Olivia playing in the pool..right before coming out of remission the 2nd time~2009

I asked Bill yesterday if he thought that because Olivia had become someone important to me, was Heather at the gate to meet Olivia when she got there? I think she was. I think she was running late, but I think sometime during the celebration, Heather put her arm around her and said, come on, I'll show you....and BFF Stuffy Bear will be fine with your Momma. He will give her comfort just like Edison does for my mom...

It is dawning on me more and more that very, very few people, children included survive Leukemia. Between the treatments, the maintenance, the possible infections and then the cancer its self...it is a miracle anyone survives. I have come to believe that the survival rate is not 50/50..I think it is more 90/10...90% die and 10% live...

The see Celine Dion's song~ I'm Your Angel click this link:

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