I’ve mentioned the 8-year-old’s struggle with a very rare bone disease here from time to time. Colleen’s battle began in 2015, but after two surgeries on her left leg, the last where they removed her tibia and replaced it with a donor bone, she’s cancer free. We hope forever, but she’ll be checked every year for the rest of her life. While she walks with a cane at home, at school, she’s still confined to a wheelchair for her safety.

Yesterday was a big day for our girl and our community. Her school honored her by making her the “mascot” for this year’s Relay For Life. They had a special recess where the entire school came out to play and hear about her journey. Everyone wore #TeamColleen T-shirts. The local paper, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, plus THV11, all highlighted her struggle. Last night, she was honored, along with all the local cancer survivors, with a dinner, and the family took their turn walking in the relay.

If you’d like to see the short TV news clip of yesterday’s recess, here’s the link: Colleen’s Story.

And if you’d like to donate to the American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life, here’s that link: Relay For Life.