Chloe was born March 1, 2000. A millennium baby and just one day shy of being a
leap day baby. Chloe grew up loving all girly things. She loved pink, purple, shopping,
shoes, dolls and dressing up. Chloe knew how to make you laugh and was quite the
entertainer. Chloe attended Coronado elementary where she made many friends and
did very well in school.
On November 7, 2006 a trip to the doctor changed our lives forever. A few weeks
before, we noticed that one side of Chloe's face looked a little different. After a trip
to the doctor, it
was determined that it was just Bells Palsy. This condition is usually
temporary and
only affects the facial muscles. It wasn't until we realized that
Chloe
had lost her
hearing on the same side that we knew something else was going on. We
went in for
an MRI the next day and found out the worst news possible. Chloe was
diagnosed with
a Diffuse Intrinsic Pontune
Glioma. This is a tumor that is growing
in the brainstem and
cannot be removed with surgery. The
diagnosis was grim, but
did not discourage us from
trying to beat it. We started the fight with six weeks
of radiation treatments. The
follow up MRI did not bring the news we had hoped
for. Although it didn't appear to
be growing, the tumor had not gotten any smaller.
In spite of the disappointing news, we continued on and began looking
for other options. In the meantime, Chloe was able to go on a wonderful
Make-A-Wish trip to Disneyworld. After the trip to Florida, her wish
continued with a trip to the zoo to help feed the animals. Chloe loved
monkeys and the chance to feed a lemur was priceless for her.
We decided to go to Texas Children's Hospital to continue with Chloe's
battle. They do lots of research there and we were able to get into one
of their clinical trials. We stayed at the Ronald McDonald House in
Houston during Chloe treatment. She remained on the
trial from May
through the beginning of August. The MRI in August
showed a 30 percent
growth in the tumor and we had to come off the
study. The doctors had
nothing else to offer us and Chloe was losing more
of her ability to walk.
We started on an oral chemo for about a month,
but only saw Chloe get
tired and worn out from it. We also tried Vitamin
C treatments for her
last month. In Chloe's last month, she could no longer
walk or swallow on
her own. Chloe never let the tumor affect her spirit or
love of life, until
she was on a feeding tube. Although she hated the tube,
she continued to
fight against the tumor.
It was on Wednesday, October 17, 2007 that Chloe was freed of all her
physical ailments and earned her wings in heaven. She fought hard and
inspired all those around her.
