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Annika (Anni) Meier, was recognized with a medulloblastoma mind tumor in June 2021. (Taylor Ballek | Corewell Well being Beat)
She had been going by outpatient therapy for nearly two years at Corewell Well being’s Helen DeVos Kids’s Hospital. (Taylor Ballek | Corewell Well being Beat)
Anni not too long ago rang a shiny gold bell to have fun a momentous event: She was lastly most cancers free. (Taylor Ballek | Corewell Well being Beat)
Whereas she nonetheless faces ongoing long-term bodily, cognitive and neurological challenges, her household sees a vivid future on the horizon. (Taylor Ballek | Corewell Well being Beat)
Ringing the ceremonial bell is a large step in saying farewell to childhood most cancers. (Taylor Ballek | Corewell Well being Beat)
Mark, Anni’s dad, stated her first three-month full mind scans had been simply executed and every thing got here again showing steady. (Taylor Ballek | Corewell Well being Beat)
Mark and Anni’s mother, Lynn, was over the moon that her scans remained steady. “That was the primary superior information of the day,” Mark stated. (Taylor Ballek | Corewell Well being Beat)
Anni’s twin brother, Bode, adjusts her bravery beads. She obtained two years price of beads for each poke, process and milestone all through her struggle in opposition to most cancers. (Taylor Ballek | Corewell Well being Beat)
“After which we got here again right here … to a spot the place we spent a number of time over the previous two years. We had some actually arduous instances right here and a few actually good instances too.” (Taylor Ballek | Corewell Well being Beat)
“She by no means as soon as gave us a tough time,” Mark stated. “And she or he nonetheless likes coming to the hospital. She at all times needs to see her pals on the ninth and tenth flooring. They’re household and pals right here.” (Taylor Ballek | Corewell Well being Beat)
“Speech could be troublesome for her, however you possibly can inform she’s having fun with the second,” Mark stated. (Taylor Ballek | Corewell Well being Beat)
Mark stated Anni is a aim setter and could be very sturdy. “She had some issues she wished to perform at the moment. And she or he did it,” he stated. (Taylor Ballek | Corewell Well being Beat)
Anni’s brother Cam stated this has been a scary time for him and their household. “She had been within the hospital for months, and every single day I might come dwelling and she or he wasn’t there,” he stated. (Taylor Ballek | Corewell Well being Beat)
Anni additionally has a particular good friend at dwelling–an 11-month-old golden retriever named Tucker. “He’s at all times able to see her after hospital visits,” Mark stated. “He was her motivation by a lot of therapy.” (Taylor Ballek | Corewell Well being Beat)
A photograph of Anni and her brothers sits on the windowsill of her bed room. (Taylor Ballek | Corewell Well being Beat)
Lynn makes use of a elevate gadget to move Anni to her mattress at their dwelling in Rockford, Michigan. (Taylor Ballek | Corewell Well being Beat)
Anni’s household made her a ebook with photographs and names of her members of the family whereas she was going by therapy. They had been not sure of her cognitive talents on the time, however she knew who everybody was. (Taylor Ballek | Corewell Well being Beat)
Pictured in Anni’s ebook is a photograph of her and her twin brother, Bode. (Taylor Ballek | Corewell Well being Beat)
Anni was a gifted ski racer earlier than her analysis. Her medals and jerseys cling in her bed room. (Taylor Ballek | Corewell Well being Beat)
Lynn places a wig on Anni that was gifted to her along with her actual hair. (Taylor Ballek | Corewell Well being Beat)
Mark and Lynn arrange a basis to assist different youngsters who could suffer from this uncommon type of most cancers. (Taylor Ballek | Corewell Well being Beat)
Anni makes use of a tool to learn that connects to their TV. (Taylor Ballek | Corewell Well being Beat)
“Anni and her smile are the face of the group,” he stated. “We have now already helped some households right here and hope to do much more.” (Taylor Ballek | Corewell Well being Beat)
Tucker lays close to Anni at dwelling. He places a smile on her face each single day. (Taylor Ballek | Corewell Well being Beat)
Annika (Anni) Meier rang a shiny gold bell to have fun a momentous event: She was lastly most cancers free.
An enormous smile got here throughout her face, shortly echoed by applause and hugs.
Household, pals, docs, nurses and others stopped by to have fun.
Anni had been recognized with a medulloblastoma mind tumor in June 2021 at Corewell Well being’s Helen DeVos Kids’s Hospital and had been going by in and outpatient therapy for nearly two years.
Whereas she nonetheless faces ongoing long-term bodily, cognitive and neurological challenges, her household sees a vivid future on the horizon.
And ringing the ceremonial bell is a large step in saying farewell to childhood most cancers.
It’s one thing all youngsters with most cancers hope for, because it signifies getting again to being a child once more. And residing a extra regular life outdoors of the hospital.
Anni’s father Mark stated her smile is contagious. And he can’t imagine how extremely courageous she has been by the complete factor.
Mark stated she had simply had her first 12-month full mind scans executed, and every thing got here again showing steady.
“That was the primary superior information of the day,” he stated. “After which we got here again right here … to a spot the place we spent a number of time over the previous two years. We had some actually arduous instances right here and a few actually good instances too.”
He stated Anni is a aim setter and could be very sturdy.
“She had some issues she wished to perform at the moment. And she or he did it,” he stated.
Stunning vacation information
Anni began displaying some signs round Christmas of 2020. Mark stated she was sick to her abdomen and had considerably much less power.
The signs caught round on and off all through the winter, and ultimately bought worse.
“We knew one thing was fallacious,” he stated. “We went by a number of totally different checks earlier than getting this analysis.”
The official analysis of a mind tumor got here in June of 2021.
“She by no means as soon as gave us a tough time,” he stated. “And she or he nonetheless likes coming to the hospital. She at all times needs to see her pals on the ninth and tenth flooring. They’re household and pals right here.”
Anni additionally has a particular good friend at dwelling–an 11-month-old golden retriever named Tucker.
“He’s at all times able to see her after hospital visits,” Mark stated. “He was her motivation by a lot of therapy.”
Mark stated he and his household pray for all the kids within the hospital each evening.
Additionally they arrange a Anni’s Military Basis to assist different youngsters who could suffer from this uncommon type of most cancers.
“Anni and her smile are the face of the group,” he stated. “We have now already helped some households right here and hope to do much more.”
A celebration to recollect
Kathryn Nichols, nurse tech on the pediatric oncology flooring, was available for the bell ringing celebration. Together with a few dozen different household and pals.
“Everyone seems to be right here to have fun Anni’s achievements, with the care staff making it a particular occasion for the youngsters and their households,” she stated. “All of us attempt to cease what we’re doing for these particular moments if we are able to.”
The Youngster and Household Life staff even created a large, hand-painted banner to assist put Anni within the spirit of celebration too.
She wore a pink hoodie with a large necklace of bravery beads displaying her energy and braveness.
Bravery beads are are handed out one after the other for dealing with powerful therapy moments like pokes, injections and chemotherapy remedies.
Anni’s brother Cam stated this has been a scary time for him and their household.
“She had been within the hospital for months, and every single day I might come dwelling and she or he wasn’t there,” he stated.
“It feels nice after every thing we’ve got been by. It’s only a aid.”
The gang cheered and music performed as Anni was rolled beneath her celebration banner for a photograph. Her brother gave her a giant hug and stood at her facet.
“Speech could be troublesome for her, however you possibly can inform she’s having fun with the second,” Mark stated.
“Secure travels dwelling at the moment, and congratulations once more,” Beth Kurt, MD, stated. “You have fun massive tonight, OK?”
Nursing Technician Sarina Vigil gave her a hug and wished her effectively too.
She stated she has by no means seen some other youngster with extra bravery beads and asserted that she deserves each single one.
“I’m so completely satisfied for you. I like that you’ve got all these beads and I like you a lot,” she stated. “It was lots at the moment. It’s been wild. I’m happy with you, girly.”
Rebecca Loret de Mola, DO, Anni’s oncologist, stated it was a troublesome tumor to deal with, however that she did nice in remedy.
“This specific sort could be very aggressive and comes with danger,” she stated. “It’s curable, however we have to use excessive doses of radiation and chemotherapy.”
She stated Anni is considered one of a sort.
“To get up to now is unbelievable,” she stated. “She at all times has such perspective. Every little thing she has been up in opposition to, she at all times met with a smile.”
Dr. Loret de Mola added that these celebrations are considerably uncommon in her space, so at the moment was exceedingly particular.
“I’m a doctor who works with mind tumors,” she stated. “Half of the kids I work with won’t ever get to ring a bell. So, I’m so thrilled we had been in a position to do that.”
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