About Amanda Luanne Mitchell
Amanda Luanne Mitchell was 11 years old when she was diagnosed with a bone cancer called osteosarcoma. She was a vibrant, energetic, beautiful child. She was not one to sit still for long, always on the go, playing tennis, basketball, and running cross country. One of her favorite things to do was to play capture-the-flag with the neighborhood kids. She didn't have any fear and always wanted to try something new. At the amusement parks, she would ride anything; it was one of her favorite places to go. She would be the one we would find in a tree or covered with dirt... But also, she was the one that loved playing with her Barbies, baby dolls and playing house. In addition, she loved going to school and doing her homework. She would practice her violin everyday.
She always stuck up for the little person. She had a heart for kids with developmental disabilities because of having her little brother, Austin, with autism. She would be their friend and didn't care about what anybody would say. Boy, if somebody did something mean, she wouldn’t be afraid to confront them. If she felt that someone was in the wrong, she would certainly let you know . . . but it  was in a loving way. Nobody could stay mad at her for long because they usually knew she was right in what she had to say. She was the sweetest person you could ever meet. Her selfless character showed through all that she did.
One day in the last days of November of 2006, she had a leg cramp that we thought was growing pains. Within two weeks, that same leg swelled up. After a two-week long series of tests and a misdiagnosis of cat scratch fever, she was sent to Riley Children's Hospital. Within 24 hours in the ER, they told us the devastating news that Amanda had metastatic osteosarcoma. After more tests and a biopsy, we were told that she had about 15 nodules in each lung and some in her pelvic lymph node. The doctors said that it didn't look good at all because, by the time of diagnosis, it had already spread to several major parts in her body. Being the courageous young lady that she was, she didn't let that bring her down for long. She fought an inspirational fight for 2 1/2 years. Her constant battle consisted of many chemo stays in the hospital, radiation treatments, blood and platelet transfusions, among many other treatments She continuously had to fight against the tumors that were attacking her body. At the end of her precious life the cancer spread throughout her whole body including many skull and painful bone tumors.
She never had the chance to stop using her crutches for that whole 2 1/2 years; she came close a few times, and the next thing you know, a tumor would ATTEMPT to stop her in her tracks. She fought this monster with much dignity and courage. She tried to do many crafts, and she liked the ones that were not too time consuming. However, all she really wanted to do was run. She would get so antsy and just wanted to be out, so we would go shopping, see a movie, or just go for a drive and grab a bite to eat when the nausea wasn't so bad. There were so many times we skipped out on homework and had fun instead. No regrets..... We even, a few times, hung out in front of the Morris Civic and played around the fountains getting each other wet. After a few long hospital stays, that's where she wanted to go. She made the most out of what she could and always thought about others first, even though she was going through all of this.
She had plans of becoming a pediatric speech therapist or physical therapist. She was hoping to go to Purdue University and has wanted to do this since she was 4 yrs old. In addition she wanted what most girls want, to get married and have children and it didn’t matter to her that there was a possibility of not being able to have her own.. Because she had planned to adopt anyway. She had such a way about her. Every time she smiled and looked at you with those beautiful blue eyes, she just drew you in. She was so loved by many. She fought a hard battle that ended on July 8, 2009 this day she went to be with our Lord Jesus Christ . Everybody is a better person for knowing her, and God used her in many amazing ways; her love for God was inspiring to all.....
Amanda did a lot in her 14 years of life and didn't have any regrets. We couldn't be more proud of her! What an amazing gift God had given us, our sweet Amanda.
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About Amanda
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