Smiles for Shannon

Shannon Elizabeth Froio

Welcome to SMILES FOR SHANNON

Shannon was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia(B cell type) in July 2002.Her Leukemia relapsed in June of 2004. She had her first Bone Marrow Transplant from an unrelated donor on Dec 10 2004. The Leukemia relapsed again in July 2005. Shannon had a second Bone Marrow Transplant from the same unrelated donor on Nov 11 2005. On December 10th 2005 we found out that Raven Russell from Dalton City Illinois was the woman who gave Shannon a second and then a third chance at life. We will be forever greatful to our angel Raven !


Our beautiful angel, Shannon, passed away at home on Monday February 19th surrounded by her loving family and in the arms of her mom.

Journal

Sunday, November 2, 2008 10:51 AM CST

I everyone. I hope some of you still check this journal in addtion to our foundation web site at www.shannonfroiofoundation.org. I will have more personal entries on this site, more of what is in my heart for my little angel.

Today I would like to share an essay written by Jimmy's best friend, also a special friend of our family and Shannon. Warning: Have box of tissue close by.

To Love and to Have Lost
Conor Krupke


The first time I met Shannon Froio was in the winter of 2006 at her benefit. I had heard a lot about her from her brother, Jimmy Froio, before then, so I was very excited. I had never met anyone in her situation. Shannon Froio had Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, and she was only 5. Her story had inspired me, and now I was finally going to meet her.
Because Shannon had only been in remission for a short time, she was still very vulnerable, so she was only at the benefit for a few minutes. I didn’t get to meet her, but I did see her. Jimmy and I had just gotten some soda, and sat on the chairs in the hallway outside of the banquet hall. I remember looking down the hallway and seeing a fragile, bald, and very young child sitting in a chair being interviewed by a newscaster. I knew before anyone could tell me that she was Shannon. She was very small, and very thin. She was wearing a hospital mask too. I remember thinking that that was wrong, she shouldn’t have to deal with something this horrible at such a young age.
I was watching the newscaster politely trying to get something out of Shannon, but even I could tell that she did not want to talk. The newscaster asked her one more question, and Shannon was fed up, so Shannon kicked her. Everyone laughed. You could tell this hurt the newscaster’s pride, so she began to question Shannon’s mother instead.
From that day on, Shannon was able to be at home more often, as opposed to her hospital in NYC. The Froio’s live just down the street from me, so I was over at their house a lot. Their family soon became mine, and Jimmy and I became best friends. I remember my first sleep over at their house, and how excited Shannon was that I was spending the night. All night the three of us played all sorts of games, like dart tag, and Shannon’s Scooby-Doo video game.
Throughout the next year, Shannon, Jimmy and I spent almost everyday together, doing all sorts of things. Sometimes, my older brother Eric, and my younger sister Megan would come along too. And medically, Shannon was doing great, she still had to go to the hospital for check-up’s every month, but she was doing very well. This lasted all through summer, and well into fall. Everything was going perfectly.
That’s when disaster struck. I will never forget the day I found out she had relapsed. It was a Wednesday in the middle of winter; I know this because I had been at ski club with my family at Song Mountain. All night at ski club I was worried. Jimmy had already told me that Shannon hadn’t been feeling well, so they decided to bring her back to NYC for a check-up, they were preparing for the worst, and I should have too.
When I got home, I headed right upstairs to get to sleep, it was late, and it was a school night. My mom was listening to the messages on the machine, as always, but I didn’t care. I wanted to get to school tomorrow so I could talk to Jimmy. I was headed to my room to change when my mom called me and my brother downstairs. She told us simply that there was a message on the machine from Jimmy, stating that Shannon had relapsed. Before that night, I don’t think I’ve ever cried so hard.
The next day, Eric and I stayed home from school to help Jimmy and Samantha, Shannon’s older sister, through the hard times. The whole day, Jimmy and I were in disbelief. The doctors told them there was nothing left to do, and she had only a few months left. We kept trying to think of new ideas to help her, but deep down, we all knew the truth. Shannon had no hope left.
Over the course of the next two months, we all prayed harder than ever before, hoping for a miracle. I spent nearly everyday over at the Froio’s, trying to spend as much time with Shannon as possible. Shannon became my sister, and Jimmy became my brother. We all spent as much time together as possible. January quickly sped by, and it was now February. We knew her time was wearing thin.
That weekend, the Froio’s invited Eric and me to their camp in the Adirondacks. We went and had a great time. Although we did not do anything out of the ordinary, it was still nice just to spend time with them all. We got to go sledding together, and snowmobiling. The weekend ended too soon, and before we knew it, it was time to go home.
I didn’t have the chance to go to the Froio’s that week, and never got the chance to say goodbye before heading off to Florida for winter break. That whole week, we kept in close contact with the Froio’s, and Shannon’s condition was not good. She was barely awake anymore, and spent most of the time asleep. The doctors told them this meant there was very little time left, and I knew that I would probably never see her again.
I remember on Monday night, our second day there, I called the Froio’s and told Jimmy and Samantha to call us right away if they needed to talk, even if it was 2 am. I called them at about eight O’clock. Shannon passed away that night at eight thirty.
The Froio’s never called us to tell us about what had happened. They didn’t want to ruin our vacation. Instead, my mom told me, right after I got off the ride “Thunder Mountain.” Once I found out, all I wanted to do was go home, right then and there. I still wish I could have. But, I didn’t. Instead, I stayed in Florida for the rest of the week. I had a great time, and tried as hard as I could to keep thoughts of Shannon’s passing out of my head.
Finally it came time to go home. That was a really hard thing to do. Not only was I returning to the 10 foot snow banks of Central New York, I was also returning to say goodbye to a very close friend. Unfortunately, I missed the calling hours and the burial, but I was able to attend the memorial service. Before the service, I had planned on standing to share some stories of Shannon, but when the time came, I couldn’t find the strength to stand and face a crowd of strange, tear-filled faces.
After the service was over, I couldn’t help but wonder when I would no longer be sad about Shannon’s death. I kept saying to myself, just wait for summer, and then everything will get easier. And summer came, and then went, and Shannon’s death still had not become any easier to deal with. However, as more and more time passed, and I thought about it more and more, I began to realize all that this experience has taught me.
Shannon herself has taught me more than any teacher or parent. She has taught me that even when death is so close, it is still possible to have fun. Shannon loved to play, and I will never forget that. She has also taught me to be a stronger person. Whenever anything bad happens to me, like a low quiz grade, or if I have lost something, I always think of how fortunate I am, and suddenly, that quiz grade doesn’t seem so bad. The most important thing Shannon has taught me is something that I had heard a million times before then, but never really realized. Shannon taught me that it really is better to have loved and to have lost, than to never have loved at all. I can’t imagine what my life would be like if I had never met Shannon, or had been too afraid of losing her to actually appreciate the time given.
Although I have learned a lot from Shannon, I also learned a lot from her death. Shannon’s death has taught me that life is fragile. It can be taken away at any moment. It doesn’t matter if you’re at home, or in Florida, you, or someone you love, can be taken away in an instant. Since Shannon’s death, I have tried to be more polite to everyone around me, and whenever I have a fight with someone, I try to resolve it then and there, because you don’t want the last thing you say to a person to be something rude that you may not even mean. Shannon’s death has taught me never to be afraid, and to live life with no regrets. Sure, there will be things you want to fix, but you have to remember that you are human, and you will make mistakes. You can’t change the past, so why bother wishing you could? All you can do is learn, and move forward.
Shannon has taught me so much. Some of which I still have yet to realize. But the most important thing Shannon has given to me is inspiration. Meeting Shannon and seeing how brave she can be in the face of death, something that many could not even imagine to do, has given me the inspiration to help others just like her. Shannon has inspired me to grow up and become a Pediatric Oncologist, so that someday, I can help a child with this horrible disease.
I will never forget Shannon, or the many lessons she had unknowingly taught me. Her story will forever be engraved in my heart. She was an inspiration to me, and everyone else around her. Although I may always feel pain when I think of her death, at least I can say I have learned from it, and that is something that will last forever.

Thank you Conor for such beautiful words.
Shannon loves you!!!!!

Love,
The Froio Family

Hospital Information:

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
please send mail to home address 8770 Wedgefield Ln
Cicero, New York 13039
315-288-4172

Links:

E-mail Author: smilesforshannon@yahoo.com

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