Dalyn Campbell only got to spend a few months with her youngest grandchild, Molly Campbell, but she savoured every minute of it.
“She had just a beautiful spirit. She had such strength and courage. She brought out such goodness in everybody,” Molly’s grandmother said from her home in Victoria.
On Wednesday morning, Molly Campbell, 21⁄2, died in St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, in Memphis, Tenn., of complications from acute respiratory distress after battling leukemia for more than two years.
Baby Molly’s story captured the hearts of Victorians in December 2010 when she was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, at just 28 days old.
At the time, she was the youngest person to ever undergo chemotherapy at B.C. Children’s Hospital in Vancouver.
Emma Irwin, a family friend, posted a note about Molly’s death just before 9 a.m. on a webpage dedicated to Molly’s fight against leukemia.
Irwin, whose own daughter underwent a bone marrow transplant for the same kind of leukemia, said it’s an experience no parent should ever have to go through.
“It’s been an unbearable rollercoaster for them,” she said. “It was just heartbreak for them as a family that [Molly] passed away.”
The Campbell family, including parents Dave and Rebekah and Molly’s four siblings, relocated to Memphis last November so Molly could receive specialized treatment there.
Victorians rallied behind the Campbell family, raising money through bottle drives and garage sales, to help cover day-to-day living costs for the family. The medical costs were covered by the hospital.
The family was continuously surprised by the generosity of strangers. At one garage sale on June 15, someone dropped off $200 for a loaf of banana bread baked by Molly’s grandmother and refused change.
“It’s almost overwhelming to see how much people will give for someone they don’t know,” said Tara Wilcox, a family friend who hosted a bottle drive and a garage sale.
Wilcox, who met the Campbells when their children went to school together, had previously raised money for a niece diagnosed with a brain tumour and wanted to help the Campbells.
“I couldn’t ever imagine having to worry about your finances when you’re focused on your child’s health,” Wilcox said.
The Campbells kept the public updated through blog posts on their website, dad Dave’s Twitter account and a Facebook page.
After Wednesday’s announcement, hundreds of people flooded the Facebook page with comments expressing their sympathy.
Others took to Twitter to extend their condolences.
Irwin said the support from the community buoyed the Campbell family during their near-constant visits to St. Jude’s intensive care unit.
“All those messages that people posted on their websites really meant a lot. I hope the community stays with them as they take these steps outside the medical world and honour Molly’s memory,” she said.
[email protected]
-thumb.png;w=120;h=80;mode=crop)
