On January 23 of 2007 our 6 year old daughter, Emily, was diagnosed with a malignant tumor called Rhabdomyosarcoma. It was in her left kidney and attached to her pancreas, diaphragm and spleen. The surgeons were able to remove all visible pieces but the tumor did break open during that process and there was some spillage in her body cavity.

After she was well enough, Emily started 42 weeks of chemo and thrown in the middle were 4 weeks of radiation. On November 12 of 2007 we thought that Emily had her last chemo treatment. Then, on May 3 of 2008 we had to rush Emily back to the hospital because of breathing problems. We were told that the tumor was back and that it had collapsed her left lung.

After several rounds of chemo and radiation the tumor continued to grow so our only option was surgery. Unfortunately, the surgery was more than her little body could handle, especially since the tumor was the size of a football. Emily never woke up from her surgery and died one week later on June 24, 2008.