Willow Smerdon
Willow was born on April 10 to mom Abbie and dad Chase. Willow loves taking care of others who are younger than her and loves babies. This trait makes her the absolute best big sister to Maeve and her newest baby sister Rhema. She adores crafts, ballet classes from YouTube, music and singing and learning about behind the scenes of theater and plays. She also loves dogs and Disney princesses, and more than anything loves her little sisters.
Willow loves going to visit family members houses. She also enjoys the children's zoo and shopping around at the mall. Willow is always up for an adventure with her friends and family and really enjoys library play dates and going swimming at the pool. Going to parks and the beach are always on her list of favorite things to do.
Diagnosis
Willows mom and dad first noticed some subtle changes in Willow's behavior that began to spark concern. They first noticed Willow getting more clumsy and tilting her head to look at things instead of moving her eyes. After a fall at preschool, Willows eyes became more lazy and they decided to take her to the ER (on her mom's birthday) where she got a CT scan. That scan found her tumor and they were transferred to a children's hospital in a different part of Michigan for more specialized support. Two days later, she was given an official diagnosis of Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma after an MRI with contrast. Her parents had never heard of DIPG before her diagnosis and it was a complete shock to their family. Grandparents and Aunts were a huge help with watching Willow's little sisters taking care of their dog, and every day support.
Abbie and Chase have decided to share their family's story because not enough people know what DIPG is and that it desperately needs a cure. Willow deserves to be seen and her diagnosis deserves more research and attention.
The Archer Foundation is proud to stand besides the Smerdon family in their battle for awareness, hope and so many more tomorrow's with Willow.
