McKinley, Chloe, Ava and Lauren, one by one, arrived at the lobby at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg for a photo shoot.
“This is our third year. They have just come so far, all of them,” said Lauren’s mom, Shawna Glynn.
These four brave girls have all beat cancer together in the same hospital.
Two years ago they had clicked a much different photo in the same lobby: The old photo shows four little girls with big smiles, but less hair.
“They were all on active treatment the first time we did this,” explained Ava’s mom, Alyssa Luciano. ”It’s amazing to see how far they’ve come from being bald little babies.”
Ava, Lauren, and McKinley were treated for acute lymphoblastic leukemia, but Chloe had a rare form of lung cancer.
They were together in the same place and had found comfort in each other.
“It was just always a breath of fresh air to see a familiar face and to know that she wasn’t alone in this,” added Karen Moore, McKinley’s mom.
This year’s reunion was extra special for Lauren. “We’re done,” exclaimed Shawna. “She just rang the bell to signify that she has completed her treatment this past Monday,”
Lauren was the last to complete her treatment, so now all four girls have cancer behind them. But will be back again next year for another reunion and more photos to celebrate being rid of cancer.