God is not dead. He is not absent from Angelina’s circumstance. As believers, we trust God has proven his love for us and Angelina by sending his beautiful son Jesus to not only die and rise for our sins but our sorrows. Our God is not one who is incapable of sympathizing and recognizing with pain, which is why he sends his Holy Spirit to comfort all those who trust in Jesus as their friend, savior and lord.

More than chemotherapy, more than doctors and more than encouraging comments (although these measures are good) prayers to our God, Jesus, are bringing Angelina through this. Although God does not promise to remove us from difficult circumstances, he promises to be with us as we trust in his son Jesus.

A friend of ours from South Africa is praying for Angelina! Lucy Rovetto recently emailed us one timely and heartfelt message from the heart of God:

“I feel many in your family are separately crying out (without each other knowing) “God take me instead of her,” but He is not looking for a sacrifice; He desires submission, obedience. God would say, “I am looking for surrendered, tender hearts;  I am not out for blood; I want you to believe again—like a child. ”

And to that we say, AMEN.

It’s been two seemingly endless weeks since little Angelina was admitted into the hospital after doctors found a then 9 cm tumor in her gut.

Baths are now stinging wash downs, as if someone was power-washing her delicate skin. Diaper changes are a dread, since the chemo is also exiting her system, irritating her bottom. And visits are heartbreaking, as all little Angelina can do is stare, lying in bed in hopes that the morphine drip continues to numb her pain.

On Wednesday, August 31, doctors decided to try reviving Angelina’s energy by giving her a blood transfusion; it didn’t help much.

What will help? Your continued prayers and heartfelt empathy. More than jokes or questions (that only try to hide her painful reality) little Angelina responds well to quiet sympathy, where one just sits beside her, stroking her hand and recognizing with her difficult circumstance.

It’s this kind of true love that will usher her through till the end.

Angelina is still in pediatric ICU since last Friday to monitor her breathing, since water filled her lungs. She has a four inch gash in her right side, from which the doctors sampled the tumor.

Dad said he felt like he’s been in a box because their room had no windows, but they’ve finally moved to a room connected to sunlight.

Little Angelina has finished her third chemotherapy treatment. She is exhausted from the constant morphine drip, chemo and other drugs, but is continuing to fight hard, so she can ride bikes again, lick her family members’ faces and laugh emphatically.

Guests have to wear body suits and face masks to guard against infection. Chemotherapy makes one’s immune system weak.

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“How is she? Why is this happening? When will it end?”

In this horror, questions bombard the circumstance like a hurricane rain.

The best thing we can do for Luigi, Diana (Angelina’s parents), Giovanni (brother) and Angelina is to stay calm, although that is very hard because this is a nightmare. Doctors are loving and careful, doing everything they know to heal and support little Angelina.

If you’re worried about Angelina, take it one step at a time. Hang in there, and keep your questions under control; don’t allow them to seize your emotions. Children are very resilient and recover rapidly, so endure for now.

Continue encouraging the family, also, and praying, for God’s hand in our suffering is there to comfort us.

Hurled at us like an unexpected bomb in our guts, doctors found in little Angelina a horrid 9 cm tumor on August 18, 2011, which they later deemed a malignant neuroblastoma. Nurses and surgeons quickly wired a catheter in our two-and-a-half-year-old princess’s chest, serving as a central intravenous for chemotherapy and nourishment in the dire months ahead.

Whereas once little Angelina delighted in doctors visits (often forcing her family to play sick or dead so she could fix us) she now dreads them, as they are daily pricking and poking in an attempt to destroy the now 11 cm tumor (August 27) between her kidney and liver.

Pumped with a morphine drip for the painful ache, Angelina has not allowed her mom to leave her side.

This is hope.

She is strong enough to robustly grip her mother’s neck; she will be strong enough to destroy this devilish growth until God heals her or until the end of her chemo treatment.

We, the Sforza family, dedicate this webpage to fundraising for the anticipated hundreds of thousands in healthcare costs and other unrelated costs as her parents dedicate 110% of their time to healing their daughter. Would you please donate $25, $50, $250, $1000 or some other amount?

Please visit our giving page, give and help little Angelina destroy the cancer monster.
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