My Destiny was diagnosed Sept. 30,2014.  She was only 3 at the time.  She was my baby; she just started preschool that month.  We started noticing she would get sick in the mornings and was having some balance issues, so I decided it was time to call the doctor, hoping for an easy answer.  We were told she had an ear infection and to come back if it wasn’t better in a week.  Well, as her mom I didn’t believe her, and when she got sick the next day, we went to the ER.  While at the hospital they drew blood and ran tests and were about to send me home when I told them I wasn’t leaving without answers.  They just didn’t understand that my baby didn’t get sick ever.  She was always my healthy baby.  So, they finally did a CAT scan, and that’s when they told me there was a tumor.  Phone calls were made and off Destiny and I went to Cincinnati Children’s, not knowing what type of tumor it was, just knowing we would be in the best of care.  Thankfully, I kept my son home from school so we could both tell him goodbye before we left because he is her strength and best friend.

Once we were at the hospital, we were taken to the PICU and hooked up to a lot of machines, and the wonderful hospital made sure I knew I could lay in bed with her and cuddle her which I think comforted both of us.  That night, Destiny had to be taken back to surgery for a shunt to be placed.  Three hours later she was back, and we were cuddled in bed together.  The next day was our first MRI that was another three hours long because they wanted to make sure they did a whole body scan.  I hated her being away from me that long, and I was always a nervous wreck when I wasn’t with her.  But through all of this, she always showed her fight and wouldn’t let little set backs stop her from trying.

She has such a wonderful support system, and I honestly believe her brother and her friends are what push her to be so strong and keep fighting.  Ten months have gone by, and she is so brave and acting like the little girl she was before we spent so long at the hospital. We do have a Facebook page for her https://www.facebook.com/teamprincessdestiny, which has followers who just love her so much.  We still have a long road to go, but Destiny’s fighting attitude gives me peace in knowing she’s up for the fight!

Submitted by Destiny’s mom, Stacie.

DESTINY RAYNE TRIBUTE FUND

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