Modern medicine has led to significant advancements in patient treatment, but many diseases remain difficult to deal with.
One such condition is cancer. Receiving a cancer diagnosis changes one’s life, and it can terrifying to have to go through that ordeal.
The risk of cancer increases the more you age – but in many unfair, devastating cases, a young child is involved.
Doctors today are able to do countless different things to help treat this disease, but sometimes, medical professionals know that there is nothing more they can do for someone and have to be honest about it.
Rebekah Spader was just 6 years old when her mother, Stephanie Spader, knew that something was wrong.
A few hospital trips later, and the Sioux Falls, South Dakota family found out what was wrong: myelodysplastic syndrome.
This syndrome is not, in itself, cancer, but some of its varieties do eventually transform into leukaemia.
In an effort to save her life, Rebekah had a bone marrow transplant done. Unfortunately, it was ineffective, and the disease continued to grow and develop.
Eventually, doctors said they believed her condition was terminal. Exhausting treatments were having no effect.
That’s when the family made the incredibly difficult decision to halt treatment and focus on helping their daughter live the best life she possibly could in the short time she had left.
By this time, Rebekah was 10 years old.
A.J., Rebekah’s older brother, really wanted to help honor his sister’s time on earth and make her happy by doing something very sweet.
He wanted to take her to his school’s freshman formal dance. Rebekah was absolutely thrilled and accepted without hesitation.
A.J. made the choice to bring her to the dance because he knew there was a good chance that she wouldn’t be able to go to high school.
Rebekah had an absolute blast during the formal dance. Fittingly, it was set on the 14th of February in 2016.
She and her brother had a great time, and A.J. spoke fondly of her.
He wanted to just build as many happy memories as he could while she was still alright, and he stated that he loved spending time around her because she was fun to be with and had a great laugh. Aww!
Later that year, on the 4th of August, 2016, Rebekah sadly passed away.
But now her family will always have the memory of her happiness and excitement for that dance, and they’ll always hold her light in their hearts.
