After 40 long weeks of pregnancy, meeting your baby feels like heaven on earth. Those first moments are filled with bliss, tears of joy, and excitement as you finally look into your little one’s eyes.
This was the story for Leann and Patrick Borden when they brought Lillian Grace into the world. Everything was perfect, until a nurse noticed the way Lillian moved her limbs.
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During labor and delivery, Leann said nothing was out of the ordinary. She said, “[Lillian] was not distressed at birth, we held her, she cried, we cried, all was right with the world”. However, shortly after birth, a nurse noticed she wasn’t moving her limbs right and ordered an MRI.
The MRI indicated that Lillian had a large tumor on her brain stem which was causing significant swelling and damage. Time was of the essence, so Leann and Patrick started treatment right away at a nearby hospital.
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Lillian underwent chemotherapy for three weeks, and, miraculously, her follow up MRI showed no signs of the tumor. However, it was still too early to call her cancer-free.
Over the next few months, Lillian continued to have follow-up visits to keep an eye on her progress. During that time, Leann posted several pictures of her baby doing all the things any other baby would do – smiling, rolling onto her belly, giggling, and just generally full of happiness.
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After several follow-up visits, and nearly five months after Lillian’s diagnosis, she was officially declared cancer-free by her physicians! To celebrate, the baby girl got to add a ribbon with her name on it to the hospital’s bell which patients ring when they beat cancer.
Leann and Patrick held their daughter as they put the bell’s string in her tiny hand and helped her ring it in celebration with her team of doctors and nurses watching and cheering her on.
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In December, Leann posted a farewell message to 2019 on her Facebook page and said, “You have given me lessons that not many people get to learn in their lifetime. You have made me appreciate life, be thankful for my health, made me fall even more in love with my husband, you have shown me what’s most important, and have given me my beautiful baby girl. Thank you for sending us off into 2020 cancer-free. Thank you for letting me now be able to enjoy my daughter.”
Watch Lillian, Leann, and Patrick ring the bell in the video below. Once you’ve dried your tears, share this heartwarming and miraculous story with your friends.
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