Remembering Pearl Heinlein: Childhood Cancer Awareness Month
BRIGHTWATERS, NY — September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Patch is remembering those lost to cancer and and honoring those who are fighting.
Pearl Heinlein, the daughter of Brie and Brian Heinlein, is remembered through her parents’ foundation, Pearl Heinlein Foundation. Brie, a survivor herself, shared the emotional journey Pearl’s diagnosis and passing took her family on.
“Pearl was diagnosed with B-ALL Leukemia in October of 2022. She was eight years old. Our world was rocked but this wasn’t our family’s first rodeo with cancer as I (her mom) had colon cancer back in 2019 and conquered it,” Brie wrote.
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“The odds were with us at a 90% survival rate so we were so optimistic and sure she would be ok. It was a HARD battle for her; the treatment was brutal for her much of the time but we also had pockets of okay too. She would often get neutropenic (no immune system) from the treatment and in the end of June of 2023 this is exactly where she was. We had spent Tuesday in the hospital getting blood transfusions, fluids and pain meds and she perked up as we drove home. Upon arriving home she complained of her belly hurting but this was a normal occurrence as she would often get sores throughout her GI system from the chemo.
“She had no fever (the indicator of infection) so we just tried to keep her comfortable. She looked at us that night and said “I don’t want to die” to which I responded “you’re not going anywhere!” Looking back I so wish I would have asked her why she thought this. She slept in our bed that night with my husband who checked her temp every hour and kept on top of her pain management.
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“At 8:30 a.m. the next morning my husband went to check on her and she was breathing but unconscious. We rushed her to the ER where she coded but was revived. We then had to transport her to a hospital where she could be put on life support. These final 24 hours of her life were almost unbearable. The doctors came to us Thursday morning to say her brain was no longer responding as her body had developed an infection in her stomach and due to no immune system, went septic.
“There was nothing left they could do. Oddly in that moment, I felt immense relief because I had spent the night wondering if my child was going to be a vegetable or where on that spectrum she would be and if she would be able to resume her treatment or if the cancer would come back. So when I heard this, an intense peace washed over me, no doubt in my mind it was her trying to show me what she now felt and no longer worrying about so many countless unknowns.
“We miss her so terribly but are trying our best to honor her through the Pearl Heinlein Foundation. Our first project was a playground we had built at her school, St. Patrick’s in Bay Shore which just completed in time for this school year. We will never stop trying to shine her light on this world. She was the most spunky, hilarious, determined, strong, beautiful soul. She continues to inspire faith, send signs, and spread love and hope to so many and that is what keeps our hearts afloat.”
Visit PearlHeinleinFoundation.com to learn more.
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