At 3 1/2 Savanna was always a bright, full of energy, and loads of laughter. Her skin was as dark as possible, her hair as blonde as snow, and her smile kept shining on. She loved to swim, dance, skate.

In December of 2008 she started sleeping in the afternoon, which was weird since the age of 2 she gave up afternoon naps, and now she was going back to needing them and longer naps then normal. Then at dance, skating and even at home she started falling, just over her own two feet. Savanna would be walking and then all of a sudden collapse for no real reason. Sometimes brusing herself doing it, it had us worried. Then one night I seen a huge bump on her sterum (chest) bone, Savanna went into emergency department and the bump was x-rayed. Nothing showed on the xray. I insisted on having an ultrasound done on this bump. The radioalist in Walkerton read it, it was a mass, but insisted it was bynine which is non cancerous. I was very upset, without a sample from that area how can you be certain? This was a question that hung with me until Febrauary 11th 2009. We were sent home and told we should have an MRI done in London Children’s hosptial. I never heard from London until January 23rd 2009. Almost six weeks went by and no one was taking me serious. Boxing day 2009 we spent in Emergency department in Walkerton, having an emergency xray done on the hip bone, and nothing showing again. In January I insisted on another ultrasound done on the bump on her chest bone, it was almost three times the size you could see it growing. Savanna was becoming more and more sleepy, clumzy and I was growing more upset with the medical care she was receiving. My family doctor in January finally understood how alarming this was, and ordered a biopsy on the site, but because of the health care system and all the channels you need to go through first this was not able to be done, until she was seen by a pedrictian. On January 26th we went to London to have our MRI pre op done, and they booked us into have our MRI in September 2009, nine months later, On January 28th I phoned the Owen Sound paedrictric unit, and begged for an appointment for Savanna to be seen by someone else to get a biopsy done.
The appointment that changed our lives was January 29th The doctor found another bump in her stomach this time. We were sent to the hosptial part in Owen Sound were they did an ultrasound of her whole stomach area. There was another tumor they found down near her left kidney, the primary tumor as it’s called, where it all started, and it was bigger then the one on her chest bone. There was also ten or so large lymp notes in her intestines. We then made the drive to London and due to the weather arrived in ER sometime around 2am on the 30th of January. That day we had a CT scan which showed the tumors there. We went on to have a bone scan, MIBG, bone marrow aspirations bilaterial, 24 hour urine collection and a few more. It took until Feb 11th to dianose her, two weeks just about. They had thought all along that it was Lymphona but in the end it was Neuroblastoma stage four.
Her left side of her body was 96% covered in cancer cells, even in her bones, her hip and thigh, and skull bone were filled with cancer cells badly. We started chemo right away, with the protocol of treatment Savanna was given 30-40% chance of survival.
We were offered in the summer a study protocol that had great potential and outcome for the children that have ran it already.
In March we did another biopsy the third and it came back cancerous with neuroblastoma cells. Savanna’s cancer has relapsed. We then had a family meeting to discuss our options, and we were told without chemo she would only have maybe six months tops, and with chemo there are children living 24 months from dianoses of relapse. The sad part is five days a month she needs to have chemo to survive.
Once you stop the chemo the tumor comes back, and she will pass. At this point Savanna has been granted a wish of a trailer to camp as much as we can this summer, to spend the summer like we did as if this never happened. In September due to Savanna’s relapse we have been granted another wish, and we plan on going to Disney World as a family, and to make more memories. Savanna continues to amaze people around her, and is truly a blessing to everyone she meets!!
Savanna will be 5 yrs old next month.

Please keep Savanna in your prayers, and her mom who how beyond me gets through each day as a single mom of 4.
Her strength and patience amazes me.

I spent a few hrs capturing Savanna and her siblings. I wanted to hold her, and hug her. I could tell she was uncomfortable, and very emotional and I could not help her. All I could do was talk to her, let her do what was comfortable for her and try and capture her as she is. We sat under a tree where she showed me her courage beads and what they stand for. All of her treatments. I was amazed at the stuff she knew and could remember.
Her wonderful spirit and strength, her sense of humor and precious smile!
In 3 hrs, she has truly touched my heart <3

If children have the ability to ignore all odds and percentages, then maybe we can all learn from them. When you think about it, what other choice is there but to hope? We have two options, medically and emotionally: give up, or fight like hell. ~Lance Armstrong

Anyone looking for more information on this form of cancer can do so by looking up www.cureseach.org and look up neuroblastoma stage four preschool age.
If anyone would like to donate to Savanna and her family, please email me for more information.
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