She lived for just six years, but Elena Desserich left behind hundreds of reminders of her love for her family that will last for a lifetime.
After Elena died of brain cancer in August 2007, her parents, Keith and Brooke Desserich, and little sister, Grace, found hundreds of notes she had written and hidden all over their home in the Cincinnati suburb of Wyoming, Ohio. The notes all contained messages telling her family how much she loved them, The Gospel Herald reported.
The notes consisted of drawings and messages, which she secretly tucked away all over the house before they were discovered days after her death.
The Desserich couple said they didn't tell Elena that she was dying after she was diagnosed with an inoperable rare form of brain cancer in 2006.
But even though her parents didn't tell her that she had less than a year to live, they believe that she knew it. That's why she left behind the hundreds of notes to comfort her family.
"I think the notes were her way of telling us that everything would be OK. It feels like a hug from her every time we find one," Brooke said.
In 2009, the Desserich family decided to use all of the notes written by Elena to create a book called "Notes Left Behind." It quickly became a New York Times bestseller.
The book earned critical praise.
New York Times bestselling author James Patterson was profoundly moved by Elena's story and her "Notes Left Behind," calling it, "a stunning story that teaches us how precious children, family, and life are, and that the sacrifices we make are worth it. I won't forget the Desserich family, and neither will you."
"Elena has left behind a story of resilience, hope and most of all, love. We can't help but take her into our hearts, and carry the best of her into our own lives," wrote Jeffrey Zaslow, co-author of "The Last Lecture."
The Cincinnati Art Museum even displayed one of Elena's paintings, which she titled "I Love You," beside a work done by the great painter Pablo Picasso.
The hundreds of love notes left behind by their daughter also inspired the Desserich couple to create a foundation to raise money to find a cure for paediatric brain cancer. Keith serves as the Chairman of the Board for the foundation called The Cure Starts Now.
