"MEET MADDY: Maddy came into this world on her own terms, and she lived every single day the same way. Maddy was bright and funny, incredibly logical, and some would say she was even a little stubborn. She was love and joy and single-handedly made this world a better place.
She loved art and dancing. She loved swimming and traveling and was the best road trip partner…even when she fell asleep almost immediately after we started driving! She loved pranks and jokes and wrote and illustrated her very own joke book! Maddy also had a true passion for cooking, and she was constantly looking for new recipes to try. She was my best girl, and my heart and soul is crushed that she is no longer here on this side of life. What I can say is this, she is living “her best life” in heaven, far better than anything she would have ever lived here. And while the ache in my heart doesn’t stop, there is some peace in knowing we will hug again.
When Maddy was six, she was diagnosed with Stage IV Diffused Anaplastic Wilms Tumors. Her survival rate was less than 30%. She underwent surgery where they removed her right kidney and a softball-sized tumor that was growing on it. Additionally, she had several lesions in her lungs where cancer had already started to spread. Her treatment plan was hard and grueling, and she spent more time in the hospital than she did out of it. But after 41 weeks of chemo and several weeks of radiation, she rang her end-of-treatment bell with so much joy. She was in remission! We had beaten the beast…or so we thought.
We spent 33 months in remission and life started to feel normal again. Around the 2-year mark, we felt like we had bridged the gap, and we were going to be one of the lucky ones to make it without relapse. Until we weren’t. A few weeks after Maddy’s 10th birthday, we found out she had, in fact, relapsed. And her left lung had several new tumors in it. After that, she spent the next 2 1/2 years fighting to back into remission. But that day never came.
Those 2 1/2 years were filled with surgeries, procedures, chemos, hospitalizations, clinical trials, traveling to hospitals in other states, CPR to resuscitate her on an operating table, intubation multiple times, and countless other things. But those years were also spent traveling, camping, shopping, cooking, cuddling, birthday parties, Christmas morning, and a million other amazing memories that I will never forget. I just wish we were still making those memories today.
On November 12, 2020, at 12 years old, Maddy took her last breath. She was surrounded by so much love, and our hearts will never be the same. The last words she said to me that evening were, “I’m ready to go now, mommy, I love you.” It was so hard to tell her it was ok to let go, but she had fought so hard for so long, and she was more than ready to be fully healed and whole. And she deserved that more than anyone in the world.
Our girl was so special, and she has inspired thousands of people to live their life to the absolute fullest. She gave strength to those who were weak, love to those who felt alone, and shined a light so bright and was a true beacon of hope."