This is one of those sad but sweet stories that makes me take pause and not worry so much about the Legos and the laundry.

Elena Desserich was diagnosed with brain cancer just before her sixth birthday, and was only given about four months to live. She lived a bit longer than that, and during that time she hid little loves notes to her parents and little sister Grace all over the house, where her family later found them after she died.

Click the upcoming link and scroll to the bottom of that page to see some of Elena's hidden notes.

Her parents have written a book called Notes Left Behind that documents Elena's illness and the family's struggle to find a cure in part as a remembrance for their younger daughter and to raise money for the foundation they started, The Cure Starts Now.

I just can't imagine what I would feel like finding one of those notes, and then never being able to hug and say thank you to the person who left them.

On the website, they describe Elena as an artist who liked to write her name backward, who could never wear enough pink, dresses or headbands, and who only wanted to be a mom someday.

They have described my daughter exactly. I really need that tissue now.

 

Related posts:

How to Cope When Your Child Is Diagnosed With Cancer

How to Tell Your Kids You May Be Dying