Today is National Cancer Survivors Day
Today is a CELEBRATION for those who have survived, an INSPIRATION for those recently diagnosed, a gathering of SUPPORT for families and friends, and an OUTREACH to the community. Today, thousands of us gather across the globe to honor cancer survivors and to show the world that life after a cancer diagnosis can be rewarding, inspiring, and full of #HappyHopeMoments.
When Izzy was just one year old, doctors found a tumor on her spinal chord that spanned from the beginning of her neck, halfway down her back.
Soon after, she underwent a 10-hour biopsy and laminectomy to release some of the pressure the tumor was placing on her spinal cord. She began chemotherapy to keep the tumor from growing in November 2014 and, after 42 chemo infusions over 14 months, Izzy finished treatment on January 15, 2016!
Izzy's mom said she always loved dressing Izzy up like a "little doll," but after the biopsy Izzy was more like a little ragdoll, unable to move. As her hair fell out, her mom said she couldn't put clips in her hair anymore. She said this was around the time they received a shipment of Headbands Of Hope headbands to The Cancer Institute of New Jersey. Izzy's mom said she remembers that day. She had cut all of her own hair off a few months earlier into a super-short cut. Izzy and her mom both put on headbands and a took a selfie. (Below) She remembers both of them looking at each other and laughing in the camera and suddenly she was her little doll again!
To this day, as her hair grows in, she still loves wearing her headbands! Head to our Facebook Page to read more about Izzy and her story!
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Headbands of Hope
