In March 2003, Madie was a very sick four- year-old girl. She could barely walk, had nightmares every night, and was covered from head to toe in black and blue bruises that seemed to appear out of nowhere. The fourth trip back to the doctor with high fevers over 104, lung congestion and back pain was not going well. The blood work that her pediatrician took was extremely abnormal, and we took the first of many trips up to our children’s hospital. That night, we got the terrible news that Madie had cancer along with an enlarged liver, pneumonia in both lungs and a raging ear infection. She had a blood cancer called Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, and because she had stopped making red blood cells and platelets a few days earlier, she most likely would have died that night at home in her sleep. Madie started chemo along with blood transfusions and twice-daily platelet transfusions, but she had to wait two days for any surgery for her port and bone marrow tests because of her low platelet counts and pneumonia. The second day at the hospital, the doctor told me that Madie was dying, but they were doing everything they could to stop that from happening. After two years and three months of chemo, along with overthree dozen blood/platelet transfusions and numerous spinal taps, hip pokes, bone scans, CT scans and five hospital stays with a few extremely “close calls”, Madie is now cancer free! She quietly struggles each day with late-effects from the chemo, but that doesn’t stop her. When you look at Madie today, you will see a vibrant, animated 18-year-old young women who enjoys every minute of life! She a SENIOR in the graduating class of 2017! Madie loves hanging with her friends, going to camp , volunteering and meeting new people ! Her happiness is contagious! Photography is very important to Madie and she has made it her biggest hobby. She love music and of course, all things “high fashion”–it’s all about the shoes! Madie is life’s biggest cheerleader and brings just pure joy to everyone who knows her! She attending a local college near her to persue her passion of photography and adventure off into advertising for high end fashion and retail places.