All children get sick sometimes, and whatever is wrong, it’s always worrisome for their parents. No one wants to see their child suffer, and most parents would take their child’s pain away and experience it themselves it they could.
Six-year-old Elena Desserich from Wyoming, was just like any other girl her age. She loved drawing and reading. She dreamed of becoming a mom one day. And she wanted to become a teacher when she grew up,
But one day Elena’s parents, Keith and Brooke Desserich, received a message that no parent wants to hear. Elena had an inoperable brain tumor. The couple was devastated when doctors told them that their little girl had no more than 135 days left to live.
Started writing a diary
But instead of wallowing in misery, Keith and Brooke decided to make the end of Elena’s life a happy and memorable time.
The couple tried to make every day special for Elena and her little sister, Gracie.
But they were also worried that Gracie might not remember her big sister when she grew up, so they started writing a diary about 6-year-old Elena.
The days passed by and Elena’s condition grew worse. Finally, she could no longer speak and became partially paralyzed.
Then on August 1, 2007, Elena breathed her last breath and her family was grief-stricken. Even though they knew it was coming, nothing could’ve prepared them for the incredible pain they felt.
No one knew about Elena’s plans
But no one in the family knew that Elena had been preparing for death in her own special way.
A few days after Elena’s death, her family started finding secret notes around their home.
It didn’t take long before they started finding notes all over the place — in books, socks, closets, winter clothes, CD covers and even bags of Christmas decorations.
No note was the same. On some, Elena wrote “I love you,” and on others, she drew hearts and flowers.
“She was a child who was wise beyond her years. I hate to think she knew she was dying but I think she did,” Elena’s father, Keith, told the Daily Mail.
In the end, Elena’s family found hundreds of messages, which together filled up three big boxes.
They were wonderful reminders of the girl they loved so dearly.
“I think the notes were her way of telling us that everything would be OK. It feels like a hug from her every time we find one,” Elena’s mother, Brooke, told the Daily Mail.
Published a book
Two years after Elena’s death, her parents decided to publish a book of her notes as a tribute to their daughter and as a way for Gracie to remember her big sister.
The book contains all of Elena’s notes except two. Her parents both carry one unopened note each wherever they go.
“It’s our way of saving the last note,” Brooke told the Daily Mail.
It’s so sad to see children taken away at such a young age.
Even though Elena isn’t here today, she won’t be forgotten.
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