The Unstoppable Miracle Girl

© 2013 by Denise Cuddeback. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse   04/27/2013

ISBN: 978-1-4817-4821-6 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4817-4820-9 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4817-4819-3 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2013907903

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Contents

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Prologue

She was now a statistic.

The thought circled in her head as she replayed the many times that she had read reports of the growing number of diagnoses. She clumsily opened her eyes to peer at her husband for a second time. The first foggy glimpse of his face… that is all that she had needed to know the results of the biopsy. Now, she would be one more reason for people to walk, to run, to fund raise. Whenever the C-word was said before them, her kids would picture her face; a face that would soon change for the worst.

It’ll be all right, Bobby said, in a comforting tone, but his eyes gave away his lie.

*     *     *

The air was warm when he placed his hand on her lower back a few days later. His touch, momentarily, made her forget the concern and she followed his lead into the front seat of their Pontiac Grand Am. Denise was so happy to have her husband with her. So often his job pulled him away, but today it was good to know that he would be beside her. For years, Bobby was an active member of the United States Navy and she had followed him to all corners of the country and beyond, from base to base, simply happy to be with him and to share the joy of watching their two children grow. She knew that neither of them was in any hurry for his service to end.

I’m so glad that they got you in so quickly, ya know? His voice pulled her from her thoughts.

Yeah. I just want to get it taken care of. Her eyes glistened just slightly and he squeezed her hand. A shiver traveled up her spine.

I know. Pretty soon, the pain will be gone and you can enjoy yourself. We can celebrate your birthday all over again.

Denise smiled at her husband. The day had passed just a week before and their small community had done things up big. There had been a pig roast and a live band and they had celebrated for hours with friends, but when dark had fallen, she had returned to a position she was all too familiar with; her head on a heating pad.

Thirty-six years old, she said plainly, turned the number over in her head for a moment, and then, with a devilish smile, don’t get any ideas about trading me in for a younger model.

Bobby laughed and the ice was officially broken. They talked and laughed just as they would at any other time. When he pulled into the designated parking lot, her hands felt a little clammy, but she ignored it and climbed from the car with her head held high.

Good morning, Denise, the nurse greeted her with a friendly smile, Chief Cuddeback.

Please, call me Bobby, He returned her grin and sat beside Denise in the matching brown chairs.

Dr. Sataloff will be right in to make introductions, the nurse said, as if this somehow made the strange situation normal.

All along the side wall of the rather large office were men and women in matching white jackets. They each held a clipboard and smiled, awkwardly, at Denise and her husband. RN Linda continued, seemingly unaware of the others in the room, I know that he wants you to meet the whole team today, she passed a hand through the air, motioning, finally, to the doctors aligned there. He may want to do a quick exam, but for now, make yourselves comfortable here, and he’ll be in as soon as possible.

Denise marveled at how kind the woman’s eyes were, and then, after the door closed, she looked around at the walls, trying to avoid the eyes of the doctors, who now quietly mingled amongst each other. She found herself intrigued with the ‘wall art’. Everywhere she looked there were certificates, diplomas, and awards. They all bore the exact same name.

Hello, came the gruff, but kind voice, Denise, Bobby, how are you?

Hi, Dr. Sataloff. She rose and felt the clammy hands return. He motioned for her to sit and he closed the door.

When the man sat behind the large wooden desk, her pulse sped up.

Denise, I had told you that I wanted you to meet the team of doctors that would be working with me. I still intend to make those introductions, He smiled at his colleagues, but I wanted to go over the diagnosis first. His face carried a very serious expression and Denise moved just slightly forward on her seat. Denise, the tumor that Dr. Marlowe discovered is malignant. I know that he shared that information with you at the hospital, but my fear is that it is growing much faster than we had predicted. He let the news set in.

Denise looked to her husband. His face was a blank slate, as he stared at the doctor. It was as if nothing had yet registered.

What does that mean, she muttered. She felt sick. After months of waiting for an answer, for someone who could help alleviate the pain, she had felt so good about Dr. Sataloff and about the surgery to correct the problem.

The doctor nodded. We will still move forward with the surgery as planned. It might be possible to shrink the tumor with chemotherapy first. But, either way the surgery is just as effective with malignant tumors as it would be otherwise. The chrondosarcoma—the tumor—is now three centimeters in length stretching from the middle ear and into your brain tissue, so we will want to act fast. When neither Denise, nor Bobby said anything, Dr. Sataloff stood. Bobby’s hand touched the golden blonde waves at the side of her head. She realized that she wouldn’t have that hair for long.

I want you to meet the team of doctors that will be assisting with your surgery and recovery, Dr. Sataloff said, and then he rattled off names. Denise caught a couple, Dr. Weaver, Dr. Loftus, Dr. Gambrel, Dr. Skultety… As Dr. Sataloft continued saying names, her mind wandered. She wasn’t making the connections between face and title anyway. . . . Dr. Eller, Dr. Kung, and Mr. Corey, he finished.

There were more than a dozen people in the room. Her clammy hands were stuck deeper in her pockets and it was as if her voice had left her. She listened to them discuss the possible complications, the expected outcome, the changes that she would see in herself, including the loss of her hair and the scarring to her face. It was all too much to comprehend, but the men and women before her were so kind, so gentle, and so confident, that she couldn’t be upset.

She and Bobby stayed and listened to what the doctors had to say, she let each look in her ear, where the fast-growing tumor was visible, and slowly she regained her composure. By the end of the appointment, she and Bobby offered the doctors a hand, and then they left.

Chapter 1

The small sign on the side of the two story residential building might have been too inconspicuous if it hadn’t been for the large, fenced in outdoor play area. As she pulled up to her place of work, she yawned. Even for Denise, a traditionally early riser, six AM was a bit brutal. Nevertheless, she had been arriving at the same early hour for months and wouldn’t mind as soon as she saw the little faces.

Maple Leaf Learning Center didn’t technically open for another hour, but Denise had a soft spot for the single parents and couldn’t seem to say no to them.

She had done the same thing while they were based in Sicily, taking in two young girls after her best friend, Betsy had introduced her to their father. He was supporting them and working full time, but he was in desperate need of a sitter if he was going to maintain the schedule. She had already had a few other kids that she watched during those hours, but Denise felt inclined to say yes and hadn’t regretted it. Her years of study at Florida Community College for child care had led her to work with many children throughout the years, but those two girls had been very special. The hours upon hours that she spent with them made them feel like her own and she had been very sad to leave them to return to the base in Mayport, Florida.

Fortunately, she had left on very good terms with Beaches Academy and was hired immediately and went to work in one of the classrooms. Robert was just two years old at the time and made the trip with her every day, while her oldest, Danielle, preferred to stay at the daycare two doors over. Again, she had fallen for the children with a single parent and found herself watching kids regularly on the weekends as well. Little did she know, at that time, that she would become the child of an only one parent. Granted she was fully grown at the time that she received the call, but it would still leave her a wet and whimpering mess.

It was just before five o’clock in the morning in Mayport. The sun hadn’t even escaped the hold of the horizon when the phone rang. She had smiled at the little girl in her lap. Her ponytail bounced as she got down laughing. Denise felt content as she walked over and picked up the receiver, though thinking it odd to get a call so early.

Denise, the voice was broken and she had immediately knew something was not right, It’s Rosemary. There was a long pause.

"Is everything . . . okay?" She had asked the question, already knowing the answer.

"No . . . no, it’s your dad."

1: Lowell Young, Denise’s Father

Her heart had risen up to her throat and she had to stare at the little girl, who was still smiling broadly, in order to maintain her composure. When she had hung up she had turned the corner and leaned against the wall, out of sight of the child for a moment. Her head had hung in despair as she dialed another number.

The thoughts of her past swirled around for a moment and then evaporated as the familiar car pulled up to the entrance. Two unhappy kids climbed out of the backseat with some help.

Hey kiddos. Good morning, Denise said, merrily, forgetting the sadness that had filled her mind moments before.

We’re not so happy to be leaving mom this morning, the mother explained, while the youngest of the two latched onto her leg.

Ah, come on, we are going to have all sorts of fun, and, you know what… your mom is going to want to hear all about it when she picks you up later.

The boys weren’t being so easily persuaded, but then Robert walked over, excited to see his friends and took one of the boy’s hands. Within a minute or two, the three were on the opposite side of the room, playing and laughing. The mother just shook her head with laughter.

Thanks, Denise, the woman said, preparing to leave, that boy of yours is something special.

Time went quite quickly after the mother departed. Denise tidied up a little while the threesome played, checking in on them every few minutes, just to be sure everyone was getting along.

Good morning, came a very groggy greeting from the front door.

Pat Kneib was a tall, thin, beautiful woman,