She's Gone But Her Love Notes Live On
Elena Desserich, at 6-years-old, had more foresight than many people five-times her age.
The little girl who loved art was diagnosed with pediatric brain cancer just before she turned six, and was given 135 days to live. During the time of her battle, she worked on her drawings: hearts, flowers, scribbles of love to her parents, grandparents, her younger sister, Gracie, and other relatives.
Her family knew she was making the notes and drawings, but what they did not expect, was that after she died, they would begin finding the notes hidden throughout the house: in briefcases, dresser drawers, between the pages of books and even in the Christmas ornament bag. Elena, whose parents described her to the Today show's Meredith Vieira, as "a very wise soul," left behind these marks of her love as a way "... letting us know that everything would be OK," her mother, Brooke said.
Brooke and her husband, Keith, kept a journal of Elena's journey, which they posted online. Then, they self-published a book, "Notes Left Behind,"which included excerpts from the journal, as well as reproductions of Elena's notes. Publishing house Harper Collins bought the book and published it, with proceeds going to The Cure Starts Now, a charity the family set up in their daughter's memory.
They might be made of paper, but the notes that live on from Elena are all heart.
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