Sunday, May 29, 2011

Nicole Mackintosh


Rosebush
Original oil painting 16x20"
by Susan Roux

May is Brain Tumor Awareness Month. As some of you already know, I have a young niece with DIPG. She was diagnosed with this terminal brain tumor in January of last year.

This photo was taken prior to her life altering diagnosis. A beautiful, soon to be 8 year old, child with an enormous heart. She has undergone so much in the past 16 months, I could never begin to put it into words. Today, this is a photo of Nicole.


Her disease and treatments have altered her appearance almost beyond recognition. One thing however has not changed, her enormous loving heart. She is seen here pushing a filled grocery cart. Not a cartful purchased by mom that she helps push to the car. No, it is a cartful that she willingly purchased with coins she worked very hard to earn in order to buy food for the poor.

Several moths ago, she decided on her own to do this project for the local food pantry. She asked to be paid for doing odd jobs around the house. Odd jobs that had become a difficult task for a child in her condition. Her heart ached for people who couldn't afford to buy things such as food. She earned the money, made out a shopping list, went shopping and recently delivered her gift. Just pushing the cart was difficult as she often needs a wheelchair to get around these days. I don't know if this special project was prompted by her insatiable appetite due to steroids, bringing her to an acute understanding of what it means to hunger or simply God working through her to teach us all a beautiful lesson in selflessness and giving.

Most likely all of you have lost a loved one to cancer or know a cancer survivor. What is this terrible disease? Where did it come from? I fear our corporations have released countless chemicals over decades into our air, rivers and land. What happened to the fallout of all the nuclear testing of yesteryear? What about present day nuclear catastrophes? In a quest to improve our lives, is it possible humans have only sabotaged them?

May is Brain Tumor Awareness Month. Hundreds of young children, beautiful young children like Nicole, suffer from this. Unfortunately too little goes into finding a cure. Unlike Nicole's selfless act, when the cost to find a cure outweighs the profits to be made, funding for research gets pushed aside. What are we waiting for?

People are going green to help save our planet, but what about companies, corporations? What about all that's been released into our world? Will anyone stand accountable? After all, our planet isn't the only thing suffering...

May is Brain Tumor Awareness Month.

16 comments:

  1. Difficult to comment, but my heart goes out to Nicole.

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  2. Heart-rending, Susan. I can't begin to fathom what she and her parents are going through.

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  3. That a child with such a heavy burden can ease her burden by lifting that of others is just wonderful.
    My prayers are with you and your niece and her family.

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  4. This is really very touching.Nicole is so beautiful, and the disease is eating her away. Such a lovely heart, her brain may have tumor, but she is certainly brainy and good hearted enough to do things for children who are less privileged, it is God who is working through her, making her not think only of her condition, but other people who are also in need. Along with God's blessings, my blessings are also with her.
    Love you Nicole, you are real inspiration to me and a lot of other people. You too are in my prayers from this moment.

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  5. Such a touching reality. My heart goes out to all the children ravaged by cancer. As a two time breast cancer survivor, I've always felt the cause to be something in the environment. I grew up outside. I will keep Nicole in my thoughts and prayers. May God bless her and all your family.

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  6. As always, a beautiful painting. My thoughts and prayers are with you, Nicole and her family.

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  7. http://www.orionmagazine.org/index.php/articles/article/6162/

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  8. Very touching post Susan. Nicole has such a generous heart, where does she gets all this strength? Beautiful girl! And beautiful painting too, a real burst of colors! :-)

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  9. This is heartbreaking, Susan;I am in awe of Nicole and her concern for others while she endures so much suffering herself. What a wonderful girl she is - I wish the best for her and will be checking back often to see how she's doing.

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  10. Ah Susan...What a beautiful little girl Nicole is, both inside and out. It breaks my heart to hear her story and yet also fills me with hope that there are people like her in our world. I know I am better for knowing her story. I know that I can only wish to be so gentle, generous, and loving. Would that I could take this scourge from her. Please give her a kiss from me. I hope and pray that somehow, some way, this diagnosis does not prove to be terminal. I believe in miracles.

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  11. Les petites flammes de mes bougies scintillent toujours pour Nicole... Je n'ai rien d'autre à ajouter tant mon coeur est sec...
    Une brassée de roses pour adoucir la vie me paraît une excellente initiative.
    Je te fais de gros bisous ma sister!

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  12. May God bless your entire family and hold you in his arms. Thank you for letting us know Nicole's story. It is very tempting to forget the struggles of others as we go about our daily busy-ness. I will keep you all in my prayers.

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  13. Will send positive thoughts her way. Thanks for writing this difficult yet touching post. Lets hope this will be a catalyst for much needed change around the world.

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  14. cette histoire m'a très touché.. en donnant un peu d'espoir à cette petite fille..

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  15. Having grandchildren Nicole's age made this story even more closer to home. I will be praying for Nicole and her family..I, also, believe in miracles Susan. Thank you for sharing this story..it has touched all of our hearts.

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  16. Thank-you for posting this, Susan. It is heart-wrenching and we are becoming a generation of people who have become time bombs, in terms of the cancers in our bodies. Yes, we can thank radiation, nuclear tests,chemicals in water and food, and poisons throughout the environment. All for the sake of profits and greed. Don't get me started. God bless Nicole and her parents.

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