After my donation to miranda featured in my last charity Thursday post .I was contacted by Elizabeth Daro from the “Cancer Doesn’t Rule Miranda” team. I thought it would be a great idea if she can share her thoughts with us on this blog. Thanks to her she kindly agreed, Lets Move on what she has to say !
First, I want to thank KJ for inviting me to share about my beloved young friend, 17-year-old Miranda, and her fight to survive a deadly disease. His gesture is one of the many acts of kindness by a stranger that have been so inspiring and uplifting during my campaign to help Miranda.
I met Miranda a couple of years ago in a round-about way through the Make-A-Wish Foundation and ended up casting her in animated movie I was producing. It’s a dream of hers to be a voice-over actress and she’s a natural talent. Her infectious laugh and indomitable spirit grabbed my heart right away. We’ve been in touch ever since.
It is no exaggeration when I say that Miranda is one of the toughest people I’ve ever met. She has been through brutal chemotherapy, radiation and numerous surgeries including the removal of part of her leg bone and most of her right lung. What she has endured would break most people but Miranda has handled it with grace and humor. Throughout her five years of battling osteosarcoma, Miranda has grown from an innocent, carefree 12-year-old who had to be pushed to speak up in class to a warrior who refuses to give up. She’s truly one of my heroes.
Now, Miranda is fighting for her life. The rare, aggressive bone cancer (osteosarcoma) that she was originally diagnosed with at 12 has returned and spread to her chest, kidney and spine. When her local doctors in Delaware informed her that there was nothing more they could do except manage the pain and then scheduled surgery to decompress a tumor on her spine, Miranda refused, telling them. You admit you can’t get it all, so what’s to make me think that you will be mindful of how you are operating. You say I’m just going to die anyway. I want someone who will give me hope for a cure.” Miranda’s motto is, “Cancer doesn’t rule me.” Doctors don’t rule her either.
Miranda’s now at M.D. Anderson in Houston, Texas where they have created a treatment plan consisting of chemotherapy, radiation and HOPE. Miranda’s isn’t naive. She knows what she’s up against. But, she chooses to be an active participant in her own destiny rather than handing it over to others.
A note regarding the video…. Miranda has a gorgeous voice and has loved to sing practically since she was born. In the summer of 2011, she was scheduled to have most of her lung removed due to an earlier recurrence. Two weeks before her surgery, I was able to arrange (through the generosity of many people) to have her record a song that one of my friends, singer/songwriter Billie Myers, wrote. It’s a hauntingly beautiful song that captures the pain, but also the hope of Miranda’s journey. I love to watch Miranda sing it, but what moves me the most is the light that never leaves her eyes, even knowing what’s ahead of her. It’s a light that’s still there.
There are many costs involved in Miranda’s fight to live. To help her and her family with the extensive medical and travel expenses, please visit her fundraising site by clicking here .
With Gratitude
Elizabeth Daro
