It comes with a heavy heart to even create this, as some of you know our daughter Samantha has a genetic disorder called Neurofibromatosis Type1. She is a spontaneous carrier meaning no one in our family line has this genetic disorder. Neurofibromatosis causes tumors to growth throughout her nervous system, her ears:eyes:spinal cord:brain along with a multitude of other health concerns to be on the lookout for. We found out at age1 that she has NF1 & a tumor behind her right eye causing concerns, she began a year of weekly chemotherapy. Her tumor behind her right eye was considered stable after treatments. At the age of 3.5yrs old she went in for her scans and we were told she had a brain tumor, the location of it created enough concerns that she was then put through another year of weekly chemotherapy treatments. The brain tumor dissolved & she has since gone on to celebrate almost 6yrs of no chemotherapy, what a blessing!! I feel this backstory is important because it shows you how much of a fighter my child truly is. Samantha is the most loving, kind hearted, beautiful, strong, determined, resilient 10yr old I know; no matter what she endures and all the silent battles she tackles she is always so loving to all around her. I have had the pleasure of loving her for all of her life & holding her hand through every path her journey takes her & this time will be no different.

 In December of ‘21 her yearly MRI showed a small glow on the left side of her brain.. a small concern but too small to worry over, yet so her MRI’s stayed scheduled the same. In February of ‘22 her MRI showed that it was in fact a new tumor, still small in size and not creating any problems/symptoms it was decided to continue to monitor it rather than put her through any chemotherapy because sometimes they will dissolve on their own without treatment. Her MRI was moved up 6 months due to confirmed tumor growth. August 31, ‘23 Sam went in for her MRI and last week I received the call that the tumor has grown significantly. She will be having surgery to remove the tumor this Friday, September 22nd.

 It’s only been a little over a week and I’m still struggling to wrap my head around it.. due to the size of the tumor, chemotherapy is not an option. Having NF1 limits medical treatment that is available to help minimize the growth of tumors, chemotherapies that are available are for tumors growing at a slower rate than Sam’s new brain tumor. Typing this & talking about this to people & loves ones is probably the hardest thing I’ve done in my life. It feels like a harsh reminder that life is not fair and there are going to be many things that we don’t understand & many heartbreaks in different forms throughout our life, but it doesn’t make the pain hurt any less and our household just keeps saying “it’s okay to not be okay right now.” We want to share and be vulnerable with others but it’s so fresh& painful it’s almost hard to. We’re processing and trying to keep strong & brave while also balancing feeling very grief stricken within a matter of days.. There’s no rule book to this life, a couple of days were okay & have a good day and a few of these nights we just snuggle on the couch and cry. But we are hopeful that all will go well. Her medical team knows it’s in a good spot in the brain to be able to remove with minimal opportunity to grow back and in removing it she will no longer have as many symptoms and headaches. 

 This fundraiser is created in hopes of helping our family during this new journey in our lives. I recently started a new job and my probation period isn’t over until the end of October; my days missed from work for Sam’s surgery/recovery/Dr appointments will not be covered and our household will need the help. This sudden news has really hit our family at a time we just can’t afford the expenses. I know times are tough and cost of living is high for all of us, it doesn’t come lightly to even create this but we could truly benefit from help at this time. Anything helps and I mean that. If you can’t donate can you please do us a favor and take the time to share. Communicate on your post a little bit about Sam and what you hopefully gained in understanding by reading my post.

 We’re grateful for our friends and family who always immediately huddle around us as soon as they receive the news. They check in with us when they know there’s an appointment coming up. They send words of encouragement & love knowing this life Sam lives is not easy by any means. We’re grateful for your presence in our lives. Whether it be physically or virtually. It’s received, needed, appreciated, & reciprocated.

 I hope you learned more about my Sammy Girl by the end of this because To Know Her is To Love Her. And if you’re lucky enough to love her than you know how special her love towards you feels, too.

 If you made it this far, thank you. I know it was lengthy but it felt good to finally let others know what’s going on in our little world over the last few days. 

 •Matthew 11:28 “Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

 •Psalm 56:3 “Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You.”