Hannah

When she was in 2nd grade, Hannah’s smile could light up a room. She loved telling jokes and singing silly songs. One night as she slept, her new puppy knew something was wrong. Roused by the dog in the middle of the night, Hannah was able to wake her parents before having a seizure and becoming unresponsive.

In the emergency room doctors told her parents that Hannah had a brain tumor. She had surgery and radiation for an anaplastic ependymoma, and she experienced nausea, hair loss and pain. But through it all, the 7-year-old entertained her medical care team with her songs and chicken dance.

Hannah went on to start her own way of giving to others, by collecting school supplies for children in war zones. She once told her mother that she was glad she had cancer, because it had resulted in such a worthwhile project.

Now a socially active 5^th grader, Hannah enjoys drawing and playing soccer. Despite weakness on her left side, she’s now learning to ride a bike. Her parents continue to watch Hannah for seizure activity, and the period before a MRI remains stressful for everyone, but Hannah’s smile still lights up the room. And her puppy, now grown, holds a very special place in the family.