A young girl from Cincinnati teaches her family and others how to love, live and cherish the small moments in life by leaving hundreds of notes behind.
Elena Desserich was just five years old when doctors diagnosed her with inoperable brain cancer. At first, her parents, Brooke and Keith Desserich, didn't want to believe it. They just wanted to hold their little girl for as long as they could.
"I remember when she would kiss me before I would walk out the door. I remember when I'd hold her hand as I walked to school. That sometimes is the most important memory that you can possibly you can capture," said father Keith.
Those memories are priceless gifts that Brooke and Keith cherish. They are gifts from their little girl who was diagnosed with cancer just a few days after Thanksgiving in 2006.
"Cuts off the ability for her to see, to hear, to roll her tongue, to move her right legs," said Keith.
During her nine-month battle, Keith and Brooke wrote notes about Elena's passion for drawing and her giving spirit. Those notes were to remind Gracie about her big sister.
"Simply wanted to capture Elena's memories, Elena's lessons for her younger sister Gracie," said Keith.
However, mom and dad weren't the only ones busy writing. After Elena's death in August of 2007, her parents discovered notes and drawings left behind, some hidden, by their little girl.
"Saying I love you and giving us those hugs. And so each little note was like a hug and like a kiss from her. And it's an amazing feeling," said mother Brooke.
Before she passed at just six years old, Elena had one request, a wish many girls share. She wanted a wedding dress. Her dad took her to pick one out and a few months later, at a cousin's wedding, Keith and Elena danced.
"A moment I'll always remember, because it was the last chance that I had to dance with her. About 3 or 4 days later, she fell into a coma and we lost her," said Keith.
After she died, her parents created a foundation to raise money for pediatric brain cancer research. They also wrote a book called "Notes Left Behind." Keith says it's a story about life, not death.
"About love, about compassion, about humility. In many ways, this isn't a book about a girl dying, this isn't a book about cancer. It's about living, it's about learning to recognize those smaller moments and realizing that they're more important than sometimes what you think may be the most important part of the day," said Keith.
Brooke and Keith will have a book signing at 1 p.m. on Saturday, December 5 at the Costco in Springdale, Ohio.
For more information about notes left behind and Elena's inspiring story, go to NotesLeftBehind.com.
