A New Beginning
Her eyes blue as water,
They sparkled like glitter.
Her smile, sweet as candy.
Her hair, blond as golden straw.
She was born today.
I have a new cousin.
Her name is Chelsea Patricia Hogan
April 1999
Smiles
Whenever family or friends came over they always wanted to hold her.
In public places, strangers would come up and say “What a beautiful
baby”.
I always played with her and would sneak toys into her crib.
She really likes the little fairy toy that I gave her.
Whenever she smiles it cheers me up when I am sad.
I played with her a lot today.
I gave her one of my favourite teddy bears and she loved it.
May 1999
Schools Out
Summer vacation is finally here.
I’m finally finished Grade 1.
I spent a ton a time with Chelsea, my brother and my cousins playing
in the backyard.
We went to the beach quite a bit with my cousins, Auntie Janine my
Nanny Carrie and her daughter Taylor, who was six months old.
June 1999
Mara Lake
All my cousins, aunties, uncles and my family went to Mara Lake this
summer.
We all went for a boat ride, looked at the Ghost town at 3-Mile Gap.
Went to the Revelstoke and looked at the Dam and Rail Museum there.
We also had a lot of campfires and played at the beach and playground.
July 1999
The News
The parents found out Chelsea had S.M.A., which stands for Spinal
Muscular Atrophy.
They were also told that Chelsea had six months to a year to live.
They didn’t tell any of us kids what as wrong with Chelsea.
August 1999
Away At The Hospital
Chelsea got sick this week and she had to go to the hospital.
She stayed there for a week.
When she finally got better and came home from the hospital, I went
over next door and saw her.
She couldn’t sit up, I don’t know why.
September 1999
Sick Again
Chelsea got sick again and had to go to the hospital for another week.
I really hope she gets better.
When she came home she was very weak, worse than before.
I don’t understand why she’s so sick.
I keep on bringing her stuff that I know she will like and putting it
in her crib.
October 1999
The Visit
My Grandma and Grandpa came from Ottawa to meet Chelsea this month.
They spent a lot of time with her. They enjoyed meeting her very much.
She was 7 months old now. It was really good to see them.
November 1999
Christmas Dinner
Chelsea couldn’t hold up her head anymore.
Family members from both sides of the family came to see her.
32 people came for Christmas dinner.
It was great to see everyone, but it was very crowded.
People spent a lot of time with her.
December 1999
The Talk
My Mom and Dad sat with my brother and I and told us about Chelsea’s
disease.
They told us about S.M.A. and what it was.
They also told us that she was going to die and didn’t have much time
to live.
My brother ad I cried for quite awhile.
Chelsea got sick again and had to go the hospital and almost died.
When she got home, she needed 24 hour care.
Nurses came during the night to watch her.
She couldn’t eat solid food and had to drink special milk formula.
January 2000
Getting Better
Chelsea started to slowly get better for a short while.
She could not move anything on her body but her head, as she could
move it side to side.
She had to have an operation to put a feeding tube in her stomach so
that she could be fed by a bag because she would choke on the bottles.
She liked sparkly things and flowers and was always smiling at us all.
February 2000
The Phone Call
My family and I were in Kelowna on holiday for Spring Break.
We got a phone call 9:00 a.m. from my Auntie and said that Chelsea
didn’t have that much longer to live.
So we drove down and spent the evening with my Auntie, Uncle and
Chelsea.
My cousins (brothers of Chelsea) were away visiting their grandparents
on the Island.
The parents took turns looking after her during the night.
My family and I got a phone call this morning at 7:30 in the
morning.
My mom picked up the phone and she hung it up and started to cry.
She told us that Chelsea had died.
We all went next door as quickly as possible.
We hugged her and kissed her and said goodbye.
I will always remember her smiles and giggles.
March 2000
Written by Stephanie Woods, age 12
