IMA Heir To Gold & Ansley

Ansley is 3 years old and currently battling High Risk Acute Lymphoblastic LeukemiA. As her mom morgan recalls "I am haunted with my own memories the day Ansley was diagnosed. I even threw out the clothes I was wearing because I knew I could never wear them again without thinking of THAT DAY. There are definitely "triggers" which take me back to those moments I heard, "I'm REALLY concerned your daughter has leukemia"...

I had taken Ansley to 2 different urgent care clinics who told me Ansley had a viral infection. I held on to that hope even though I knew something was really wrong. The sad thing is, the truth is, "we" all have these kinds of stories. There are waaayyyy too many "Warrior Kids" (Warrior Families!) who fight this battle every day. 

MEETING HER WARRIOR HORSE:

If you've been following our journey, you know that we keep ourselves pretty sequestered. I estimate that Ansley's had only a handful of "out of the house" experiences (with the exception of hospital/clinic visits) since September 24, 2016. It can be a pretty lonely life for this girl who loves to be social, loves being outside, loves life in general. But yesterday was a special "Ansley day". She got to meet her Warrior Horse, Johnny. He's beautiful, brave and strong - just like Ansley... A perfect match! The day was filled with smiles and giggles, excitement and energy. As a mom of a cancer warrior, you live for days like this! I have a feeling that Johnny and Ansley will be friends forever! 

MESSAGE FROM ANSLEY'S MOM:

Hi Warrior Mama! What a fun, full day! Our little warrior is sound asleep... probably dreaming of horses loping in the fields! (Ryan taught her that word 🙂 ) Ansley loved meeting her Warrior Horse, Johnny, today. (Ansley named him "Mike" which cracks me up... where did that name come from?!) I wasn't sure she would grasp the concept of what it meant for her to have "her own Warrior Horse" so I showed her pictures of Ryan riding Khing and we talked about how Ryan is also a cancer warrior and Khing is his Warrior Horse. Then I  showed her the picture of "her" Warrior Horse Johnny that you sent me. (It was the one with him and his owner, Lisa.) Ansley looked at the picture and asked - with all sincerity, as only a 3 year old can... "Hey, what's that lady doing on my horse?" It was then that I knew she got the concept of having her own special Warrior Horse and the significance that was to her. Haha! We met Lisa today (she is wonderful!) and she and Ansley decided they could share Johnny... (and maybe his middle name could be Mike?? Haha!  🙂 It was such a cute moment! The day was filled with smiles and happiness, giggles and loping, of course! Since Ansley's diagnosis, she has really been more or less quarantined to the house (since we avoid taking her to public places for fear of germs, etc) Today was such a great day to put those concerns aside, and just have a total "Ansley day." doing something that I knew she would love... seeing animals and being outside. To be (almost) a normal kid! She brought Johnny carrots, and was thrilled to be able to feed them to him! She is so excited to go back and visit him again and next time she wants to bring him a bucket of apples! 🙂 Thank you, thank you!! for bringing something so special like this to Ansley. What a great escape it was for all of us! Please know how much we appreciate everything! It is truly a gift! I know the pictures I sent earlier tell a happy story but I wanted to share one more with you... It's a picture of Ansley sleeping with her Warrior Horse bracelet... Just in case you ever question whether or not you're making a difference! 🙂

xoxo!!

This beautiful Half Arabian gelding is owned by Lisa  Andre and together they won their first big prize together at Scottsdale this year. Johnny has quite the personality and loves Kids! So he was a perfect choice to become a Warrior Horse. Havung the kindest eye and sweet disposition, it was no surprise that he and Ansley got along so great. 

LISA'S MESSAGE:

Thank you for giving the Andre Family the opportunity to be a part of the Warrior Horse cause today. Kristal, I said "Johnny needs to have the cutest, most girly-girl Warrior Child." Boy, did he get matched with THE loveliest child EVER!  God is good. There are no words that would do today justice. Humbling is an understatement.