Nova’s Legacy
Nova loved singing and dancing. It was a part of her daily life. She also loved sharing random animal facts with anyone who would listen. Her distinct giggle and smile were infectious. The beach was her happy place. She was the kind of girl you would want as a friend. She loved having fun, showed great compassion for people and animals, and always made the right choice. If everyone else was laughing at you, she was the one who didn’t laugh and would sit next to you.
Nova was always up for a trip or a visit with family and friends. Slides were her favorite thing to do at the park. School was her favorite pastime. She loved learning new things and being with her friends each day. She looked up to her teachers. Nova loved our nature walks and always picked a flower to give me on every walk. She also liked working with tools and was her dad’s best project helper.
Nova was diagnosed at age 4 with Pineoblastoma. After completing treatment and surgeries, she had clear scans for three years. However, she relapsed in November 2022, and we had to relive the nightmare, this time knowing the possible outcome. After almost a two-year battle, trying palliative chemo and two trials later, our little big star, “Super Nova,” left this world better than she found it on July 30, 2024.
Our Donation Story
Nova loved God and trusted Him with her heart and time on earth. Still, she did express her anger and sadness about the circumstances. She was mad that she couldn’t do the things she wanted to do. She would say, “I can’t be me.” She wanted to live and was heartbroken after the last MRI showed all the tumors had increased, and we were dropped from the second trial. A week before she went to heaven, she told me, “I’m going to beat it, Mom; it’s not going to get me.” Who was I to say any different? Miracles happen every day. We never gave up hope for our daughter so long as there was breath in her.
In the end, she did experience pain, which we did our best to manage with medication, but she told me, “No one should have to live like this; I want to be free from it.” Heartbreaking just doesn’t define what it’s like to hear your nine-year-old daughter, your child, say those words. She said so many times that she wished cancer didn’t exist, that it would go into the black hole or end forever.
During her life, she raised close to $40,000 for cancer research and used her voice on social media platforms to bring awareness to the need for funds to save children. She didn’t just wish for a cure; she worked for it.
An oncologist friend of mine once said that one of the issues with finding a cure for rare types of brain cancer like Nova’s is the lack of tissue. At that time, Nova was cancer-free, but it stuck with me. When we found out we had days to weeks left with her, I searched for places that accepted brain cancer tissue. We just had to make something good come from this, and I knew she would gladly support it, knowing it could save the lives of other children. Her heart was genuinely kind and compassionate.
In my search, I found Gift from a Child and knew God led me there. Cindy walked us through the process and coordinated everything with great care and quick communication. It brings us some peace and comfort knowing that Nova may have a hand in curing children so that no family has to watch their child take their last breath. I think back to what Nova said about beating it. What better way to beat it than to do it for good? I believe she will.
Go Super Nova! We love you.
