Have you ever had a typical cold or a minor sinus problem? It’s not particularly pleasant, but it’s not something to be overly concerned about. So when Shayla Mitchell discovered she had an acute cough that would not subside, she knew she had a sinus infection and asked her father if he could take her to the hospital the next day.
The girl’s father, Tom, picked her up after school the following day and took her to see the doctor as planned. They had intended to eat supper right after their exam since it was just a routine check. Unfortunately, everything went according to on schedule. They ended up dining in a room in Fairfax Hospital’s pediatric oncology unit.
Tom said, “We didn’t know it at the time, but we would wind up having our next 450 meals in that hospital, as well as hundreds and hundreds of additional meals over the next couple of years.”
The doctor came back with a perplexed expression on his face and started to tell them what was supposed to be a brief walk-in-walk-out session deteriorated into horror. That was enough for them to know more than just a sinus infection was wrong. The shocking news that Shayla had a malignant tumor covering two-thirds of her entire chest stunned everyone.
In fact, the condition was so dire that one of her lungs has already completely collapsed.
The doctor informed Tom and Shayla that the 16-year-old was battling Stage 4 Hodgkin’s disease. Before informing her, the doctor took his time to talk to her and relax her down. He even stopped by a Native American art store near the hospital before delivering the news.
Talking about what occurred during the day, Tom said. “I talked with her about everything and nothing. I talked with her about the wind and about feathers and I talked with her about cancer. We talked about the word ‘brave.’ We held each other very tight for a very long time. I’m pretty sure we both cried, and we promised each other that no matter what, we would be brave; together we would get through this. ”
Tom said he put the bracelet on Shayla’s wrist, and the two made a promise to one another.
“That I would wear my bracelet until the day she was cancer free. That for every single night she had to stay in the hospital I would stay with her. That as long as she stayed brave, so would I.”
When things took a more serious turn, their father and daughters had to spend hundreds of nights in the hospital together. Shayla had several tests, blood samples, and went through many rounds of radiation and chemotherapy.
Shayla suffered from heart failure shortly after beginning chemotherapy. “…her poor little heart quit working, so they had to install a pacemaker/defibrillator into her chest.”
For the rest of the year, Tom was at her side, bravely holding her hand as her hair fell out and through it all she kept trying to keep strong. They attempted to remain tough throughout the storm together.
During their struggle, one of the most trying periods was when Shayla began screaming as she made her way to the automobile with her father.“Help me, Dad! IT’S SHOCKING ME! …IT’S SHOCKING ME!” she screamed. Her pacemaker had begun to malfunction, causing it to deliver electrical shocks to her body. But Tom would not let go of hers.
After the accident, Tom recounted his story.
“But I refused to let go. I just held her as tightly as I could and just like that. it stopped shocking her as quickly as it had started, and we rushed to the hospital. It turns out the manufacturer of this device had to recall thousands of them like brakes on a Chevy.”
Tom had never felt his daughter slipping out of his grasp before, but on this occasion he refused to let go. He clung to optimism until one day the doctors informed him that there was nothing more they could do for Shaya. Tom was at a loss as to what he would do next. He didn’t know how to tell her the news.
“How in the world was I supposed to have this conversation with my darling daughter. How in the world was I going to be brave enough to tell my daughter she was going to die. … I knew I had to be brave for HER. I did, of course, have that conversation with her, and as unbelievable as this may sound it turned out to be the most amazing, beautiful, magical, wonderful conversation I’ve ever had in my entire life, and one that I hope you NEVER EVER have to have…” Tom wrote.
His daughter, who was three years old at the time, asked him a question that he would never forget, “Am I still brave Dad?” she asked. He stared deeply into her eyes at that very instant. It was then that he recognized that young Shayla had fought for herself all this time not because she wanted to, but rather because of him.
Unfortunately, Shayla died later, but Tom would always remember her bravery. Young Shayla fought bravely and even though she lost at the end, she will always be a hero for Tom and others who hear her tale.
