Born on Feb. 11, 2009, Morgan was a 3rd-grade student at Cutchogue Elementary School, who LOVED: all things Disney (especially her Winnie-the-Pooh); her annual family trips to Damariscotta Lake, Maine; playing baby dolls with her loving big sister, Hunter; running around laughing (sans clothing) with her hilarious little brother, Wyatt; goofing around with all her cousins; sleepovers at her grandparents; her two best friends; playing soccer with the Queen Bees; and most of all, snuggling with her family in her most absolute favorite place to be, home.
At only 2½ years old, Morgan was diagnosed with a Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG). Her life expectancy was roughly a year. Fighting cancer was her super power. Brave and strong throughout her entire journey and, with the help of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, she defied all odds. She had a wicked sense of humor that always kept us laughing and taught us to enjoy each and every day. Morgan taught us more in her 9 years than we could have ever taught her in a lifetime. She touched the hearts of so many and we couldn’t be more proud of her!
A warrior till the very end, Morgan took her last breathe in our loving arms, on April 6, 2018, after a 6½-year battle with cancer. She was only 9 years old. She is the brightest star in the sky - forever shining down over us.
Morgan had a Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG) and, because of its location in the brainstem, it was not only inoperable, but terminal. There is no cure for DIPG, in fact, there have been no advances in the last 50+ years. Once a place only seen to us on commercials, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital became a beacon of hope. The Doctors and Nurses that took care of Morgan were phenomenal. She was not just a patient to them, but a little girl that they truly cared about. St. Jude is a hospital that treats catastrophic illnesses, a hospital that could be filled with sadness and fear, but it is not; St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is a hospital full of incredible people and inspirational families that inspire you to fight and never give up hope. We’ve been in and out of hospitals through the years and we’ve never ever experienced the kindness and care that we got at St. Jude. It is truly a hospital like no other - they made it possible for us to concentrate all our energy and strength on our sick child rather than how we were going to pay for her treatments and care. We are and always will be forever grateful to St. Jude for the extraordinary care they gave Morgan and our entire family. They gave us the precious gift of time when no other hospital could.
Please consider donating to this truly incredible hospital. Your generous donations will help other kids like Morgan and families just like ours and hopefully find a cure for this monster called DIPG.
"No child should die in the dawn of life" - Danny Thomas