We thought Alaina was a healthy 5 year old girl that loved to draw, paint, dance, perform gymnastics, and play princess. That is, up until May 31st 2006. She had been complaining of various symptoms such as leg pain, foot pain, stomach aches, and generally feeling bad for about a month and had been treated by her pediatrician but nothing seemed to help. She had gone from such a happy girl to one that was constantly complaining of one thing or another. We'd begun to wonder where our sweet little girl had gone. Finally, her doctor sent her to the hospital to have a CT scan performed. We couldn't believe the diagnosis – Stage 4 Neuroblastoma. The original tumor was in her abdomen but it had spread to her bones, bone marrow, and had formed secondary tumors in her chest and neck.

She was such a trooper and never argued as she endured 8 rounds of chemotherapy, 15 days of radiation, 2 bone marrow transplants, and numerous surgeries. As horrible as all this was, there have been some positives. We've seen how people can pull together. Our community and church rallied around Alaina and amazed us with their support and generosity. They planned and executed blood drives, fund raiser, meals, and house cleanings to name a few. But most of all, we saw God's hand in all of this. We have felt His guidance and love every step of the way. We are so grateful for all the things that have been done for our family.

Today, Alaina is again a happy little girl. She loves the color pink, butterflies, princesses, playing dress-up, drawing, dancing, ladybugs, going to church, playing with friends, riding her bike without training wheels, going to school, and sometimes even her big brothers, Zach and Brady. She is back to dancing, gymnastics, and all her old activities – plus a few new ones. She's a Missionette at Christian Life Assembly and a proud first grader. She's been in remission for about 6 months and will be finishing treatment in a few weeks.

Thank you for your prayers for Alaina's continued health and healing.

Bryan and Cindy Thompson