Felicity’s tale

The old, old story goes like this. The girl is waylaid along the path through the deep, dark woods by a vicious wolf. She falls prey to its cunning plan, but luckily, is rescued in the nick of time and survives, much the wiser.

Or another one: Though it seems only misery lies ahead for the mistreated stepdaughter, she never gives up on kindness or hope, and a surprising twist of good magic leads her to her happily ever after.

Felicity, with her real-life Rapunzel hair and a name that means happiness, is fascinated by these fairy tales. She knows them backward and forward, and her favorite thing is to act them out.

And she usually wants Mommy to narrate. As we go through the narration, if a character has an important line, she'll stop me: ‘Wait, wait, I'll say it.’ And she'll act out that part.”  She is actress and also director, making sure the fairy godmother knows when to cast her spell, or that the wolf is appropriately vanquished.

Once upon a time, Felicity’s life was threatened by something as unforeseen as a wolf from the shadows.

But she doesn’t remember that part; she was just a baby then. That story is one her parents remember for her, until she’s old enough to really understand.

In May of 2017, Mandy took Felicity for her 4-month wellness visit. “Being a first-time mommy, I was so scared about getting her shots,” she remembered. She and her husband Eric were completely unprepared for what followed. The pediatrician noticed their baby’s fontanelle was raised, and her head measurement was unusually large for her age and body size. He ordered imaging which eventually revealed Felicity had multiple tumors in her brain and spine.

It was clear that Felicity would need treatment, and soon.

Years earlier, when Mandy was in college, her roommate’s cousin had been a patient at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital^®. To honor that child, their sorority started supporting St. Jude. In high-spirited, college-aged style, they pulled off zany fundraising ideas like a 24-hour see-saw relay, and they raised real money doing it.

Now, in this dire moment, St. Jude was on Mandy’s mind again. She and Eric sought a referral.

Felicity was diagnosed with desmoplastic infantile astrocytoma. It was not cancer, but it was fast-growing, aggressive and life-threatening. The location of the tumors and her young age were factors in the type of treatment that was safe for her to receive. At St. Jude, she underwent multiple rounds of chemotherapy. She also received supportive care like physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy.

Meanwhile, many milestones were marked. Felicity experienced her first Christmas while inpatient, dressed in the cutest little red-and-white Santa’s helper outfit. There were decorations, St. Jude staff singing carols and gifts delivered by Santa himself. Her 1^st birthday was celebrated with balloons and confetti in the Brain Tumor Clinic.

After 10 months, scans indicated it was safe for Felicity to stop active treatment, but to continue to come for regular checkups at St. Jude. This remains true today, seven years later. And she is thriving.

People have always been drawn to Felicity, from her babyhood on. “I always prayed that she would have something special about her, and boy, did she,” Mandy said. “She does captivate everyone with the way she interacts. You start asking her questions, and that mind, it just goes. There is something about her that's just a little bit different, but it's that factor that everybody loves.”

There is a sweetness to their family life, even when things are hectic or stressful, that stems from remembering to take nothing for granted. Christmases and birthdays are full-scale productions, not least of all because Felicity loves a celebration. “After that first Christmas, we don't go shy,” said Mandy. “Now Christmases are grandparents, cousins, all of our friends. We make sure to do it big.

“Her favorite thing is putting candles on a cake, someone singing to her, and her just laughing her head off. So, we have to re-light the candles over and over again. And now her baby dolls have to have a birthday as well. Throughout the year, we'll have four or five birthdays for her baby dolls.” And Felicity is a big sister now, twice over, so that puts even more parties on the calendar.

When it comes to her diagnosis, “she is very unaware of it,” said Mandy. One day, they will want Felicity to know everything she went through. They have documented her journey — the hard times, the fellow St. Jude families who became their dear friends, the staff who became like family — the breadcrumbs leading back in time that show how far she’s come.

Mandy hopes there will be lessons in this. “As she gets older and starts to comprehend exactly what's been going on with her, I want her to have compassion for other people, I really do. I hope that she wants to give back. And just to always remember that we came from something hard, and we can get somewhere good.”

The fairy tales persist for a reason. Life does take some of us through deep, dark woods filled with danger. It may present us with circumstances that seem insurmountable without a hand from the proverbial fairy godmother. If we are plucky but mostly if we are lucky, on the other side of these challenges wait earned wisdom, resilience and newfound joy.

It can’t be said Felicity is entirely out of the woods. But said Mandy, “she's becoming the girl that she's meant to be.”

Nine years old, unique, imaginative, absolutely brimming with the magic she herself brings into the world.