Hope, Faith, Strength And Mikayla

Have you ever met a human being that has touched your inner soul? The type of person that no matter what they have going on in their lives, they still put others first, are always wearing a smile, and are always offering words of encouragement?

I happen to be lucky enough to be related to one of those persons. This amazing person happens to be my 12-year-old niece. I can honestly tell you that she is my real life hero. And I know I was blessed by the best when He placed her in my life. She showed me courage, strength, patience, and most importantly, she showed me to suck it up and deal with the hand that is dealt to me.

You may ask yourself how this 12-year-old little girl can impact a grown adult so much. First off, I’ll start by saying that this is not an ordinary 12 year old, that’s for sure! She is much too old for her young years. And unfortunately, she had to grow up way too fast.

From Sept. 21, 2010 through this past June, Mikayla’s prime residence was the cancer ward at the Children’s Hospital of Orange County. She began her battle with cancer then, and was determined to beat it. And that she did! She was diagnosed with a rare form of Leukemia and had to be put on an aggressive chemo therapy. Not once did I ever hear her say “Why me?”

She once said, “Everyone always thinks that this is really hard. But it’s not. It’s all in how you deal with it.”

And that right there is what got me through my short battle with cancer. With life! How can I ever feel sorry for myself when this precious angle is sitting in the cancer ward, fighting for her life, all with a smile on her face?

And she is why I will be participating in the Relay For Life this year. I have created a team in her honor. “Mikayla’s Little Monster’s” is the name of my team. I will walk and try to find a cure. In Mikayla’s honor, in my dad’s honor, in my many aunts and uncles honor, and all that have battled this terrible disease. And because of Mikayla, this year I am blessed to be able to register as a cancer survivor also.

If you’d like to join my team, or make donations to help find a cure for cancer, click on the link below. There you can join my team, leave a note, or make a donation towards my teams goal of $1,000.

Here’s the link: http://main.acsevents.org/goto/irene.neria