Michelle Crews was a bubbly, happy 5-year-old girl who loved to spend summers chasing chickens at her grandparents’ ranch, go fishing with her family and swimming with her big brother Bill. On Memorial Day weekend in 1974 Michelle fainted at the lake where her family was fishing. The next day, she was diagnosed with leukemia.

In the 1970s there was virtually no chance for children to survive leukemia and most children only lived for a few short months following diagnosis. Michelle endured chemotherapy and radiation therapy. She tried to maintain normalcy during it all, playing board games with her brother and going to school when she could. Her brother Bill was very protective of his sister, especially when kids made fun of her for being bald.

Michelle fought like a true champion against her disease. Her courage was evident, her strength like that of a brave soldier at war. One year after her diagnosis, Michelle took her last breath at the age of six. On Memorial Day weekend 1975, Bill remembers the profound sorrow of kissing his little sister’s cold cheek as she lay in the coffin. He was 8 years old at the time and many years have gone by, but the memory of his adorable little sister lives on.

In 2003 when Bill was diagnosed with lymphoma, his thoughts of his sister were almost constant. They now had something in common and he wished he could talk to her about it.

Michelle did not survive her terrible disease, but her spirit of strength lives on. She was a CHAMPION and is remembered today, as her brother Bill celebrates his birthday, as the wonderful little sister she was.

May we all do our parts to continue to fight to cure cancer!