Lessons from the life of Abby Greer

CALEDONIA, Mich. (WOOD) - On July 17, Brandon and Kelli Greer will celebrate their third anniversary. Their second child is also due that day. They just hope their daughter, Abby, will still be around to meet her sibling.

When Abby was 10 months old, she began throwing up and couldn't stop. The Greers took her to the emergency room.

"We could see them gathered outside our room and we knew it was bad," Kelli Greer told 24 Hour News 8.

There was a mass on Abby's brain.

"We were asking him, "Could this just be a cyst?' and he said, no, this is cancer."

She was diagnosed with childhood ependymoma , a disease in which malignant cells form in the tissues of the brain and spinal cord.

Abby underwent surgery, then six weeks of aggressive radiation. The results showed the cancer was gone.

"It was the happiest day for us," Kelli said.

There were follow-up MRIs scheduled. In July and October, the results came back clean with no detectable signs of cancer.

The weeks that followed were the best for the family -- Brandon, a third-grade teacher, Kelli, a pediatric nurse, and Abby. Kelli was pregnant again and their dream of a home filled with kids was looking better.

But the results of the MRI on December 6 were not good. In fact, they were terrible.

"Her oncologist sat us down and said she is no longer curable and the cancer is just too wide spread," Brandon said. "Your stomach just hits the floor."

They had to deal with the bittersweet irony that while a new life is growing inside Kelli, Abby's life is slipping away.

"There is nothing I can do," Brandon said, "and it's just horrible."

So they decided to give Abby the best Christmas they could. They can't bring themselves to take down their tree.

But Brandon and Kelli Greer have learned a lesson from their 18-month-old Abby, a lesson they wish everyone could learn.

"We are just so happy that our daughter is here and that we can love on her everyday," Kelli said. "It has just made us appreciate who is in our lives and what is important in our lives, and that you shouldn't sweat the small stuff."

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A spaghetti dinner to benefit Abby Greer will be held on Saturday, March 2, 2013 at Pietro’s from 4-7 p.m.
The cost is $15 per person (with donations for kids under 10.) T-shirts will be sold,raffle items available and games for the kids.  Proceeds will help Abby’s parents, Kelli and Brandon, with medical expenses, cost of living expenses and eventually, funeral expenses.

More info on the Abby Greer Facebook page