Cancer is a genuinely horrifying condition. Starting with receiving a diagnosis, difficult treatments, and the prospect of saying farewell to loved ones.
It’s particularly tough for parents to witness young children battling this terrible illness. Simply put, it’s sufficient to break even the strongest of souls.
I find it difficult to comprehend why a young girl and her family should endure something as horrible after seeing photos of Delaney Krings.
Heather Witt Krings / Facebook
In October 2022, Pewaukee, Wisconsin resident Delaney Krings received a fatal brain cancer diagnosis. Delaney had just turned four when her family received the awful news.
The family’s nightmare allegedly began when Delaney sought medical treatment for a relatively minor earache, according to the Facebook page For The Love of Delaney. Her parents, Heather and Jack, brought her to the doctor, who treated the young girl’s ear infection after making the appropriate diagnosis.
Delaney’s condition originally seemed to get better, but there were still other symptoms, like a loss of balance, that something wasn’t right.
Facebook / For the love of Delaney
Her parents started to have significant concerns about their daughter and trusted their instincts. They brought her to the Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, where specialists performed tests to determine the nature of the 4-year-old’s illness.
Shortly after that, Heather and Jack’s adorable young daughter was found to have an invasive brain tumor called a diffuse midline glioma (DMG). It was fatal.
“Your heart stops for a minute. The world stops. You can’t breathe; you try to process it. She’s four, you know?” Heather said.
Only six to eight weeks were predicted for Delaney’s life; that is where her story could have concluded. Her family wanted to ensure she had the most memorable birthday possible, so they did everything possible to ensure that her health struggle became a global sensation.
”The type of cancer she has, DMG, has very little positive response to any current treatment available,” Heather wrote in a CaringBridge post.
“In addition to the severity and size of her tumor when it was first found sealed her fate just 12 short weeks ago. I have read medical textbooks, research papers, etc., etc. for months and found little hope in any of them.”
Delaney turned five on Wednesday, December 16. Everyone present was aware that it would be her final one. To offer her a special celebration, her family requested birthday greetings from worldwide.
They were unaware of the sheer number of people who Delaney’s tale would move.
“On the maps that we have up, we have stickers to put for all of the locations for where the cards have come from, so Laney can see that she’s got love from all over the world from people she doesn’t even know. And it has taken off. I believe there were 400 cards in the mail today,” Heather said in December.
Facebook / For the love of Delaney
“As long as she still knows what’s going on, she can laugh, she can hear, she can see, she knows us, she remembers us. You have to ignore that clock because what’s our purpose here? To make whatever time she has left as best as we can.”
Approximately 15,000 birthday cards and hundreds of video tributes were ultimately sent to the adorable young girl from family, friends, and total strangers worldwide. Delaney’s birthday was made extra special by the Wisconsin Truck Takeover Enthusiasts, who organized a parade with nearly 500 vehicles and participants.
”I’m just happy she gets to enjoy her birthday. There’s no way to thank everybody, but we appreciate everything from the bottom of our hearts,” Delaney’s dad, Jack Krings, told TMJ4 News in Milwaukee.
Facebook / For the love of Delaney
On January 28, Delaney sadly passed away.
“Our Sweet Angel Baby has gained her wings. Fly high, my sweet baby,” Delaney’s mother, Heather, wrote on CaringBridge and posted a photo of her daughter with the caption: “Delaney Judith Krings. 12.16.2017 — 1.28.2023. Fly high, my sweet baby.”
In a post on the GoFundMe website established to aid Delaney’s family, coordinator Judy Krings stated:
“Like a flower that we see the beauty of for only a while, we all cherished every day of Delaney’s 1,869 days on earth”. To those she knew and those she never met, she made us all better people. Make her proud of you. Your heart, like ours, may be broken. But a broken heart has spaces that can now be filled with the glue of love. Enjoy the love of life in heaven, Delaney.”
Delany’s mother now hopes that her daughter’s story will live on forever and that her legacy will lead ”to be a ripple of simple acts of kindness. This world needs more love, and I believe that is what she was put here to provide. Love, pure and simple.”
No parent wants to see their kid suffer, and they will go to great lengths to restore their feelings of well-being.
However, some things are simply out of our control, no matter how hard we strive, how much we hope, or how much we pray.
This helpless child and her family make my heart ache. Delaney, may you rest in peace and be grateful for the inspiration you gave the world with your smile and tenacity.
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