Hello all! My name is Janeen Hodge and I am setting this fundraiser up for my precious granddaughter Annabelle (Anna).
She just turned 11 years old back in March of this year, and 4 days ago, this beautiful and kind-hearted child was diagnosed with a terminal brain tumor (DIPG). The tumor is located on her brain stem and cannot be operated on because of the location.
Anna will start her journey with radiation on September 22, 2025, and it will be a 5-day stay in Birmingham, AL, with her being able to go home on the weekends. This journey will last 6 weeks, and with all the travel, any help would be appreciated.
Let me back up real quick and tell you a little about our Anna, because if you know her, then this will not come as a surprise to you, but if you don’t, I would like for you to because it is truly something special. Our sweet Anna truly has the biggest heart of anyone you will ever know. Starting in Kindergarten, her teacher would tell me that Anna could not start her day without giving her a hug, and then at the end of the day, she would not leave until she gave her a hug. She did this throughout her time in elementary. Even if you didn’t teach her, if she saw you and she got that feeling you needed a kind word, she would definitely go out of her way to give you that kind word or a hug to make you feel better. Her heart was so big she wanted to hold everyone she met in it. If she saw a sick child, she wanted to know if they were okay, and she would want to pray for them. If you needed it and Anna had it, she would give it with a smile on her face. I can honestly say that Anna would do all she could to make someone happy. It truly makes her heart full when she knows she has put a smile on your face. She would hurt if you were hurt. Anna was made so different than a lot of people her age. I can say that it is truly an honor to be able to say she was a huge part of my life and has touched my heart in ways I never could have imagined. This girl is honestly one of a kind!
In the last 4 days, we have become a YES family to Anna. Knowing the outcome may not be good, we want her to be as happy as she can be and to know that she was truly LOVED beyond measure. She has so many things she wants to do (yes, she had plans for her future) that she may not get a chance to do, so as her grandparents, Donny and I will need some help to make these things happen for her sooner rather than never.
We are not a family that asks for help, but with this new journey we are about to embark on, with a humbled heart, we are asking for your help so that we can make as many of Anna’s dreams come true as possible.
If you cannot donate, that is okay, but we do ask that you send up a prayer for this very special girl, so that God knows our need and hopefully He can heal her.