Meet Yvonne

How did you spend your summer vacation? Yvonne is a lot tougher than her small body would lead you to believe. This girl fought cancer over summer vacation and WON! Yvonne is a beautiful girl with an artistic spirit , she plays the piano and recently started guitar lessons. She is also a talented gymnast and dancer and wants to get into photography. She is a typical pre-teen girl who is attached to her I-phone, loves shopping for clothes, hanging with her friends, sleepovers and of course Justin Beiber. (Justin might be a little smitten with Yvonne her as well since they did make eye contact at his concert in October). After not feeling well for a couple months, finally Yvonne and her family discovered the root of her illness. In early June ,Yvonne and her family faced a diagnosis of Stage 4B Hodgkin Lymphoma. This kicked off a summer scheduled around 4 rounds of very intensive chemotherapy treatments. The summer had a lot of ups and downs and trips in and out of the hospital, enjoying the good moments whenever possible. Just in time to return to school in the fall, on September 6th the Pet scan came back no cancer. That news concluded the first phase of chemotherapy. The second phase of 4 more rounds of chemotherapy started. On February 1, 2013 the final ALL CLEAR was declared. Yvonne fought like a girl and beat cancer! She is CANCER FREE! Hodgkin Lymphoma is a cancer affecting the lymph system in the body. While it normally affects those aged 15 to 35 and over 50, it can also attack children. It is one of the “more curable cancers”. It is still cancer and it takes a lot of strength,determination, hope and medical treatment to beat. Treatments vary depending on the stage and age and gender of the patient. The string of beads Yvonne is proudly holding are called Beads Of Courage. The Beads of Courage program is designed to honor the journey children take when they are diagnosed with cancer and other life-threatening illnesses. Children tell their stories using colorful beads that symbolize the milestones they reach along their journey. These kids earn each and every one of those beads that is for sure.
Images by: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Spur-of-the-Moment-Studio/344555396107