Angel Madelyn

One of the neat things about computers, you meet so many new people you would have never met & you read about so much of their lives - you become sort of involved from the side lines. I ran across a blog for a little girl named Kara Lee that someone from church had sent requesting prayer. She is currently fighting cancer & she's such a little trooper. She especially touches my heart because she has a twin - & with having twin nieces & knowing the bond they have & the closeness they share - I can't imagine what that would be like if something like this happened to one of them. (Thank you Lord that my nieces are healthy!)

But, during one of these entires a few months back, they had requested prayer for a fellow little girl that was at St. Jude - her name is Madelyn. I started following the story of this little girl & the battle she too endured. She has had cancer since she was a baby & has fought her Neuroblastoma for 4 years. You can check the site to see the road they have traveled. But in December, the medicines were no longer helping & the parents had to make the decision to stop all chemo & treatements. It's been heartbreaking but also inspiring to read the past few weeks. Then Saturday morning, I got up to read how she was because Friday, it just didn't sound very well. This was the post that was on the site:

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SATURDAY FEB 2, 2008 (2-2 girl!)It is with deep sadness and a broken heart that we tell you our precious Madelyn is now sitting at the feet of Jesus. She passed holding both mommy and daddys hand at 3:19AM.What a glorious day it is for our beautiful princess as she tiptoes through the gates of heaven. She earned another "tutu" by entering on this date the second day of the second month! Dance Madelyn, dance! Run and play and never look back my precious girl! We love you and already miss you terribly.We are still home with Maddie just Neal and I and the Hospice nurse, Cathy (My mother picked up Tyler last night at 7) She has had a bed side bath, lotioned up, her nails and toes painted pink and sparkly (just the way she would want them!), and her little hand prints done. I will journal soon of her last night and early morning but for now I just can't. I will update soon the details of vistation and Life Celebration Service fit for a PRINCESS! We love you guys so very much!Love BrandiNeal, Tyler, ^Madelyn^ & Ella

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Oh - I just sat at my computer & cried. How awful when we loose our loved ones, but to think of a family loosing a little girl - its just heart breaking. So the reason I'm posting this myself - I'm just asking you hold this family in your prayers today. They are having a "Life Celebration Service Fit for a Princess" today & I know its going to be beautiful but I know its going to be hard. Lift this family up - kiss your own child today - be thankful for all the health & blessing you have in your life.

And another thing, if you start looking at these sites - notice all the praises all these families give to St. Jude Hospital & Staff. The stories they tell about how this center provides something special for these kids almost every day - it's got to be one of the most bittersweet places to work - to make these children smile & then to see them in so much pain! Let's lift up the workers, volunteers, doctors & researchers at St. Jude - they must truly be angels on earth!