Abbie

Submitted with love by her mother, Mary Ann Waters. Bravely with wit and an inquisitive nature, our hero Abbie battled two bouts of an aggressive form of childhood cancer, Rhabdomyosarcoma, for over a year and a half. Abbie's love of life, laughter, bright smile and blue eyes left a lasting imprint on everyone who had the privilege to cross her path. She loved sleepovers, music, school, texting, swimming, and her dog, Nia. Abbie adored her friends, family, and all of those who took care of her. Some of her other favorite things included steak, salmon, and the color turquoise.

Until September 2009, the only time Abbie spent in the hospital was the day she was born. She was an incredible little girl (Mom's are allowed to brag a bit!). On September 18, 2009, her dad's birthday, she was diagnosed with Rhabdomyosarcoma Embryonal Stage IV. The major mass was in her lower abdomen and was about the size of a football. Abbie also had 11 tumors in her lungs. She had surgeries that September and again in March 2010. Chemotherapy was scheduled through mid-summer 2010, but our sweet daughter relapsed in September 2010 and earned her angel wings on April 22, 2011.

Abbie was our hero through it all. She loved all of the people that cared for her - from her friends, family, doctors and nurses, radiologists, teachers, cafeteria workers, and the parking attendants. Please, please continue supporting organizations like Cookies for Kids' Cancer for more funding for childhood cancer. Abbie's death left her friends without a best friend, her parents without their only child, a school without their favorite pupil, and her dog Nia without a mom.