this is my friend Ash’s 14-year old sister Lola. 

she is sweet, dedicated and beautiful. i’ve never met anyone who hasn’t really connected with her - she makes everyone feel better.

she has Paget’s disease, which is a disorder that weakens and enlarges the bones. Lola has lived with it comfortably all of her life however few months ago, she started having a harder time getting out of bed in the morning and making it through the day.

she went to the hospital and test results showed that weak bone tissue in her skull and spine was caving in. they also found that the cartilage in her joints had thinned to alarmingly low levels.

it was scary how quickly everything happened. due to the weakness of her bone tissue and pain in her skull, the optic nerves in the back of her eyes are under extreme stress and she may lose her eyesight. it is also common for those with Paget’s to lose their hearing and have a hard time coordinating or controlling reflexes, such as swallowing. she has lost nearly 20 pounds due to her extensive stress, medication and inability to eat.

when i think about what’s been happening to Lola, i feel really selfish. she is a wonderful person, who lives life to the fullest. she is kind to everyone, has such a wonderful respect for all faith’s and volunteers whenever she can. she is brilliant, teaches piano at her community center and walks all of her neighbors’ pets after school.  when she grows up, she wants to be a pediatric surgeon. 

to anyone that has ever lost a friend or loved one, wants to see beauty in the world and believes in God as much as this girl does - please pray for her. she would give you a great big hug, no matter what :)

i ♥ you Lola and can’t wait to see you get better.