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A few years ago, Elena Desserich was like a lot of little girls. Five years old, she loved the colour pink, and when she grew up, she wanted to be a teacher.
Then, everything changed.
Doctors diagnosed Elena with brain cancer, and told her parents she only had a few months to live... but Elena didn't know she was dying. Her parents decided not to tell her, so they could enjoy the remaining time they had together.
Eventually, Elena got very sick. She had trouble speaking and swallowing, so, she started writing notes to communicate. Little did her parents know, Elena knew more than she was letting on.
For the last nine months of her life, Elena hid notes around her house; apparently knowing her family would find them when she was gone. She hid notes between dishes, in cupboards and drawers, telling her family she loved them.
In one note, she even apologized to her dad for being sick.
Sadly, Elena died on August 11th, 2007. But over the next few months, her family found many of her notes. Now, as a way of remembering Elena, her parents have put together a book called 'Notes Left Behind.' And they've established a charity called 'The Cure Starts Now Foundation', all in honour of Elena.
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