Although bad news often dominates the headlines, there are positive stories out there that I believe are important to tell.
It is especially satisfying for me to write stories about people who have overcome a major obstacle and achieved success.
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This time I鈥檓 writing about my daughter, Ellen, whose story started out sad and has pivoted into a happy one.
I began telling Ellen's story 15 years ago in June when our family doctor told my husband, Brian, and me that our then-5-year-old had leukemia.
The diagnosis of acute lymphoblastic leukemia on June 3, 2008, explained why Ellen had a respiratory illness she had not been able to shake, bruises on her legs and joint pain. The diagnosis was scary and we worried about an uncertain future.
She was a seriously ill little girl, and we were aware that the cancer was life threatening. But Brian and I and Ellen鈥檚 brothers, Brendan and Thomas, knew that we had to overcome our own worries to present a positive front. We also knew that leaning on our Catholic Christian faith and support from Ellen鈥檚 medical team, our extended family, friends and neighbors would help us to help Ellen.
Ellen had spirit and spunk, and, with the love of God and her personal and medical support teams, not only survived cancer but came out on the other side of it stronger.
At the age of 20, already Ellen has made a mark on the world through her volunteer work to organizations like Make-A-Wish, her church and Meals on Wheels. She has made appearances on television and talked on the radio about the importance of volunteer work for non-profit organizations.
She is fiercely loyal to her brothers and her sister-in-law, considerate of her parents and, to quote a line from a Tim McGraw song, 鈥渁 friend a friend would like to have.鈥�
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Ellen is a thoughtful, selfless young woman who lives to make others happy, and that is demonstrated by her surprising them with parties marking milestones in their lives, lending them a listening ear and writing 鈥� yes, the kind where she puts a pen to paper 鈥� notes celebrating happy times or offering sympathy during sad ones.
A serious student throughout her elementary and high school years, Ellen also is excelling at the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks, where she has achieved a 4.0 all four semesters and was awarded a large scholarship, which will pay for her junior year tuition as she pursues her degree in early childhood education.
Her passion for running, a sport in which she achieved great success in high school, has continued and she is training for a half marathon this fall. This summer she is living and working in North Carolina for ChicknLegs, a running shorts company, which gives her an opportunity to market a brand she loves and to run with a new group of friends.
As the years have passed since Ellen鈥檚 diagnosis, she has been adamant that she didn鈥檛 want her life to be defined by cancer, so Brian and I have worked to make sure that it isn鈥檛.
Instead, guided by God, Ellen has not let a cancer diagnosis limit her, but instead, created a life that is characterized by who she is: a kind, compassionate, intelligent, faith-filled strong, young woman.
That is the good news that I, as her mom, am happy to proclaim, She is living proof that adversity does, indeed, build character and that life is what you make of it.
As Ellen travels the journey of her adult years, with God as her guide, we await to see more of her incredible story unfold.
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Ann Bailey lives on a farmstead near Larimore, North Dakota, that has been in her family since 1911. You can reach her at 218-779-8093 or abailey@agweek.com.
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