Want to join me in making a difference? I'm raising money to benefit American Cancer Society, and any donation will help make an impact. I want to inform you about my Gria's Story, her journey through life, and how she was a fighter.  My goal is to raise $2,020.00 initially towards helping families and cancer research.  Thanks in advance for your contribution to this cause that means so much to me.

Hi, I am Ava, and I'm 9 years old.  I am here to tell you the story of my grandmother.  Her name is Anita, but we call her Gria because I made the name up when I was little.  I didn't like calling her grandmother, so I call her Gria.  She is my world, and she was sick with a disease called lung cancer. When my mom found out about her having lung cancer, she went out to our porch and cried and cried and cried.  When I came outside to see why she was crying, she said, "Gria has cancer."  Those words alone jabbed the inside of my stomach, like an airplane had rammed right through me.  I was sad, too!  I comforted her for a minute, then we went back inside. 

After that, Gria fought  and fought and fought.  We went to Gatti's pizza after she had been diagnosed .   A week later, she had to go to the emergency room (her back was hurting really bad).  After she was in the hospital, I gave her everything; I even gave her a lot of stuff, even money.  I gave her all my coins.  I gave her a little dolphin that was colored pink and green.  When I had bad days, my mom would tell me Gria held her dolphin.  It would make me smile happily.  Before Gria went into surgery, me and my other grandmother Mimi went to get Gria a huge owl about as tall as my knees in the gift shop in the hospital.  I partly paid for it.  The owl looked like a snowy owl.  So there was chance she would not make it through this surgery.  But I believed she would make it.  And she did live!  My dad said as she was coming out of surgery she stuck her tongue out at him and smiled as she passed by in her hospital bed.  We were so grateful that she made it out alive and ok!  We ate Thanksgiving  Dinner at the hospital.  Mimi cooked up a big feast with everything she wanted.  It was a ton of fun, and we were very thankful.

After that, she spent a while in the hospital, and then the doctors moved her to a rehabilitation center.  So after she moved there I decorated her room with origami, drawings, cards, posters, and other stuff.  Then maybe like two weeks later she got moved home.  She loved it, although she thought that she was still in the nursing home just designed to look like her house.  She was assured that it was actually her house, and Papaw showed her by picking up her cats and showing her they were at home. . Weeks after that we had Christmas.  It was so much fun.  Gria got a photo to hang on her wall and a heart with her initials painted purple.  The clay was shaped like a heart, and we painted it red with the purple initials.  My mom got one too!  They opened them at the same exact time.  We also got her more stuff too!

After Christmas was over, we just had loving moments and sour moments; good days and bad days.  It was two days until my Papaw's birthday, so we wanted to do something the boys: my uncle Timmy, my brother Hunter, my dad Vince, and my Papaw.  Papaw was mowing the front lawn, and Timmy, Dad, and Hunter were all taking a walk. So the girls (my Mom, Gria, and me) were all inside.  We looked at images of Columbo cakes because my Papaw really loves Columbo.  The boys came back in, and we all chatted about Papaw's birthday and what he wants.  Then my mom told me give Gria a really good hug.  The next day I was with my mom driving to school.  She called my Gria, and I said, "I love you so, so, much!  Have a good day Gria!"  I heard no response; finally, my Papaw said she has a hoarse voice right now, but she loves you!  He said she nodded her head when he said that.  That was the last I heard of her. My dad picked me up from school and told me that Gria had passed away.  I had tears in my eyes.  I cried.  I was just happy to know that she was not hurting, that she can run and walk up there in Heaven and is probably very happy to see her cat, Buddy, in Heaven. And her parents and family, too! I love and miss her to this day!

Love,
Ava Ingle

More information about American Cancer Society: At the American Cancer Society, we're on a mission to free the world from cancer. Until we do, we'll be funding and conducting research, sharing expert information, supporting patients with transportation to treatment, lodging and spreading the word about prevention. All so you can live longer and better.