CINCINNATI (Feb. 10, 2014) — A 7-year-old from West Michigan fighting and winning battle after battle is now ready to come home after tackling leukemia.
FOX 17 first introduced you to Lily Strang of Sturgis last March she read a book about her rare genetic disorder during a school assembly. The disorder caused her to be born without thumbs. And she was diagnosed with leukemia.
“I’m going home on Sunday,” Lily said during a Skype interview.
For five months, she has been deprived of what every little girl deserves: catching a Frisbee, playing with her brothers. or just eating an apple. She was unable to eat during a large part of her treatment. “I love the inside of apples. They`re yummy.”
Lily and her mom, Erin Furr, have been at the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. The hospital specializes in treating leukemia in patients with Fanconi Anemia. After eight days of very aggressive chemotherapy in October, Lily had a bone marrow transplant.
Erin’s posted almost daily on the 100 Cranes for Lily Facebook page and gained tremendous support from the community in Sturgis and across the country.
“She kind of got adopted by the whole town, and it’s meant more than I can probably ever say,” Erin said.
Now in remission, Lily will still travel to Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital for treatment and be in isolation at home for a while, all so her body is able to heal and so Lily can take a step toward bringing life back to normal.
The town of Sturgis is planning a surprise homecoming celebration for Lily on Sunday at 3 p.m. The plan is to line Lafayette between Nottawa Road and Lakeview.
