Elora's Story - Tatum Parker Project

Elora’s Story

Tatum Parker Project made her forget about how scared and sick she was. She was dealt a very unfortunate hand but you have made it much, much easier to deal with.

“When we got the results of our daughter Elora’s ultrasound and heard ‘She has a tumor on her liver’ we knew our lives at that moment had changed forever. The last three weeks have been filled with sadness, anger, hope, fear. Watching her turn slowly from an energetic, happy girl to a tired and weak girl has been hard. At her age, there is no way to explain to her what is going on and why these seemingly scary things have to happen to her. She isn’t happy when nurses come near and doesn’t like being social.

Today, we came to Riley to start her second cycle of chemo. Dr. Zucker and his nurse said they had a “big gift” for her but we had no idea how big. The nurse brought in this huge bag and honestly, my first thought was that it had toys in there that Elora could choose from. My husband and I were in shock when they said the whole thing was hers. She loved watching me pull each item out. Smiled, grinned, reached for things and looked them ALL over. No longer was she scared…she was…HAPPY! She chatted (in her toddler language) to the Dr. and nurses and even smiled for them! She was a new girl that my husband and I hadn’t seen in weeks. She really loved the bubbles and as you can see, she loves the Leap Pad.

What I really want you to know is you made her forget about how scared and sick she was. In that moment that we saw how excited she was, we all forgot. I want you to know that you made a difference in her life. She was dealt a very unfortunate hand but you have made it much, much easier to deal with. For all of us.”

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