Audrey

A KISS CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE!! It was an ordinary Wednesday night in October of 2012 when we went in to check on the kids before we went to bed, only to find Audrey sitting up in her crib, arms stretched out calling "Mommy". She was running a low-grade fever for the second night in a row so we gave her Tylenol and took her out of her crib to rock her back to sleep. During our sweet cuddle session, mom kissed her on her lower cheek, and there it was! The kiss that changed our life!! A lump!!! A lump that was oddly shaped, it was almost the size of a golf ball. It was fixed, hard as a rock and when we pressed on it, she had no reaction. Something in our gut told us there was something very wrong. Next thing we knew…we were in the ER, where lab results came back abnormal, and we were sent directly to Levine's Children's Hospital. After what seems like an eternity of waiting for answers, we still held out hope that is was something that wasn't much of anything and that the medical staff was just being more than thorough in all the tests that were being ran. When the Dr. walked in to share the findings, it was shocking! We were told that our one-year-old baby girl, Audrey, had A.L.L Leukemia. No one can ever prepare you for those words. The news hit us and felt as if every ounce of breath was instantly taken from our body…

They immediately began treatment. Treatments consist of everything from continuous lab work to intensive Chemo Therapy. During all of this, our Audrey showed us what a tough cookie she was never letting any of this get the best of her. She continued to do everything necessary to fight cancer to its death. Throughout our journey thus far, Audrey has received countless chemo treatments, blood transfusions, Platelets, Lumbar Puncture procedures with Chemo dispersed through her spine monthly, Hospital stays, and the regular clinic visits as scheduled. As most children, Audrey is very resilient to all she's been through, She takes it like a champ. We have always said she’s an old soul. She's wise beyond her years; she's the one who reminds US that everything is going to be okay. She's truly an amazing child who steals everyone's heart everywhere she goes. Audrey is so bright and full of life. She will make you laugh in the most awkward of situations, which is how we got through all of this. Audrey loves to sing, dance and most of all, tell her twin brother (Mac) what to do and how to do it! She's a firecracker for sure, but we wouldn't have it any other way. Her feistiness is one of the main ingredients of why she has won her battle.

Today Audrey is completely finished with all of her Chemo treatments. It was a happy day on New Years Day just to know that she has started 2015 in such a good place. Every time we think about how much she has been through, we are quickly reminded of how many people she has touched and helped grow as individuals along the way. It's not anything anyone ever wants to go through, but if at the end of a tough journey, hearts are expanded and we become better people for it…AND find a cure!!!… We will go to battle, AND WIN! Our little chant is "Audrey Brynn is in to WIN!"

Fun facts about Audrey:
Sibling: Twin Big Brother (by one minute) Macauley "Mac"

Thing she loves: Tea parties, Most Disney Princesses, Old movies, Sing & Dance!

Favorite Movies: Annie (she will make the best Broadway Annie one day), ET, Sound of Music & Anything with Audrey Hepburn.

Sports Teams: Notre Dame Fighting Irish!