Cancer has taken so many things from my daughter, but it certainly did not take anything away from her amazing spirit. Today, Maggie is a happy, energetic nine year old. She is in third grade at Our Lady of Good Counsel school. She is on the soccer, cheerleading and track teams, and she is a proud Brownie Scout. She spends her days making mischief with her older brother and best friend, Michael, giggling with her younger sister, Mary Kate, and chasing after her younger brother, Matthew. Maggie loves animals - dolphins are her favorite, followed closely by tigers and owls - and enjoys going to the zoo and aquarium every chance she can get. She also loves cheering for her favorite baseball team, the Brooklyn Cyclones. Since she was a baby, she has been going to the games, screaming for the team, waving her flag, banging her thunder sticks, running the bases, and being a true Cyclone FAN-atic. She cannot decide if she wants to be an veterinarian or a nurse when she grows up, but she definitely knows she wants to be a mommy. Maggie loves the arts!!! She likes to sing and dance, and is constantly picking up items around the house to use as a makeshift microphone, so that she can belt out her favorite tunes. She enjoys drawing, coloring, painting and all things arts and crafts. She is also a bit of a comedian; her laugh is infectious, especially when it bubbles over after one of her silly knock-knock jokes! It's her laugh that truly says the most about our Maggie. While her smile may brighten a room, her laugh fills everyone's spirit. Its the laugh of a bright, kind, happy, inquisitive, articulate. thoughtful, caring, silly, beautiful nine year old, and I say a quick prayer of thanks each and every time I hear it.