This is the story of Shawna Marie from Georgia and little Marie from Louisiana who were diagnosed with a glioblastoma multiforme Stage IV brain tumor in August of 2004. The girls met while they were patients at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, TN and became fast friends during their frequent stays at Ronald McDonald House.
Both girls had radiation, the same kind of chemotherapy, and were on the same schedule for follow-up visits to the hospital for MRI’s, evaluations, etc. During these months, the cancer progressed and showed enhancement of the tumor during their July visit to the hospital. Their chemotherapy was changed often during the next few months but still the tumors kept growing and eventually spread to their spine. It was during the December visit that each family was told there was nothing more to be done, that it was time to call in hospice, and to return home and prepare for the end of their life.
Shawna showed great courage and strength upon her return home as she reconciled herself to possibly not surviving this cancer. She wrote a letter to her mother telling her that she was not afraid of dying and that if she did not make it, that she would be waiting at heaven’s gate ready to hug her when she arrived in heaven. Shawna also wrote detailed instructions on what to do for her funeral – where it was to be, what our pas tor was to say about her, what songs were to be played, and what we should wear. She asked that we be happy for her and never forget her.
It was also during these three months that Shawna began having dreams about children surrounding her bed holding their arms out to her. Shawna said none of these children had faces except for little Marie, who was always in the dreams. Shawna was fearful at first until we explained to her that these children were angels who were sent to surround her with love and protect her through the night. She was content with this explanation and continued to have these dreams up to her last moments.
When Shawna passed away at 9:50 am the morning of February 24, little Marie’s mother happened to call about an hour after her passing to ask how Shawna was doing. We told her that Shawna had passed away about an hour prior to her call and she then told us that little Marie had slipped into a coma about a week prior (at the same time Shawna stopped eating or drinking anything) and they were afraid that little Marie would not make it through the weekend. While my daughter and I were at the funeral home later that same afternoon making final arrangements, little Marie’s mother called and left a message that she had whispered to Marie that Shawna had become an angel that morning. She then told us that Marie’s breathing became very normal and about an hour after that, she also passed away on the very same day as our Shawna.
Marie’s mother called back later to tell us how happy she was to know that Shawna would be in heaven with little Marie to hold her hand and keep her close to her and how she felt that Marie had been waiting for Shawna to pass so she could go too.
We know that our Shawna Marie and little Marie are God’s special angels now too and that they are taking care of each other and will be waiting with open arms for other children with cancer who do not make it. We also know that they are healthy, whole, and happy where they are now.
Written by Sharon and Neil Southerly, Shawna’s grandparents, from Kingston, GA.
Memories of an Adolescent Brain Tumor