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Maddie's Story

Ashley and David knew something was wrong when their little girl, Maddie, when she just couldn’t seem to stay healthy. They began to worry as the symptoms kept piling-up low-grade fevers, bruising, fatigue. Yet nothing prepared them for what a blood test soon revealed: Maddie had leukemia.

That was the beginning of four intense rounds of chemotherapy, which required little Maddie to stay in the hospital for five long months. Her care team got to know her well, and she got to know them. In the midst of those difficult days, this spirited little girl found a lot to love.

“Maddie loved Dr. Laura, and the lizard flashlight she wore on her stethoscope,” Ashley says. “She loved stickers, the support staff, her ‘tree’ (IV pole) and her crib, because I could lay in there with her. And she adored her nurses: Kathleen, Jen, Molly and Jess.”

Maddie also LOVES LOVES LOVES Disney princesses. And that was the inspiration for a princess parade in the cancer unit. Maddie and several other patients dressed in princess costumes and marched through the halls with their doctors and nurses, a few of whom dressed in princess costumes of their own!

Maddie’s cancer is now in remission. Her parents are grateful for all the people who helped bring back the energetic, outgoing girl they love so much.

“Bringing Maddie to Cincinnati Children’s was a no brainer for us,” Ashley says. “We’re blessed to have one of the best oncology programs in the country right here in Cincinnati.”

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