Everyone thought that Delaney Krings, like any other healthy youngster, was perfectly well.
Her parents Heather and Jack brought her to the doctor when she complained of ear ache. She definitely had an infection, the doctor said, and he gave her some medicine. Delaney’s parents worried at first because she seemed to be improving, but then they saw additional symptoms including a lack of balance.
Specialists at the Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin ran a battery of tests on Delaney, 4, to figure out what was wrong.
Unfortunately, the family found out the tragic news in October of 2022.
Delaney was suffering from a severe form of brain cancer. The doctors gave this precious little angel just six to eight weeks to live.
“For a whole minute, your heart just stops. Everything halts. You stop breathing and simply try to take it all in. I mean, she’s four already! Says Heather.
Delaney’s parents wanted to do something special for her last birthday after learning that she likely didn’t have much time left.
Heather then invited her friends and relatives to send birthday greetings to her daughter, not realising the tale would become viral.
Heather noted on CaringBridge that “the type of cancer she has, DMG, has very little positive response to any current treatment available.”
“The tumor’s size and aggressiveness at its first diagnosis very well sealed her doom only 12 short weeks ago. I have spent months poring through medical dictionaries, encyclopaedias, research papers, etc., and have found very little optimism in any of it.
Delaney was five years old on December 16, and she celebrated with a special party. People from all around the globe sent this beautiful child birthday cards and movies to celebrate her special day.
We have maps up and stickers for all the places where the cards have come from, so Laney can see that she is loved by people she has never met, all around the globe. The momentum is growing. In December, Heather estimated that 400 greeting cards had been sent.
As long as she is aware of what is happening, she is still able to laugh, hear, see, recognise, and remember us. You can’t pay attention to that clock; after all, why are we even here? To make the most of the time we have together, whatever long that may be.
A birthday parade for Delaney was organised by the Wisconsin Truck Takeover Enthusiasts, and it attracted as many as 500 vehicles and parade goers.
I hope she has a wonderful birthday. Delaney’s father, Jack Krings, told TMJ4 News in Milwaukee, “There’s no way to thank everybody, but, from the bottom of our hearts, we appreciate everything.”
Delaney’s death from cancer on January 28, 2023, shattered her parents’ hearts into a million pieces and brought their world to a grinding halt.
Sadly, our angel baby has flown away. Heather Krings, Delaney’s mother, said on CaringBridge, “Delaney Judith Krings. 12.16.2017 – 1.28.2023. Fly high, my lovely girl. Dearest darling, soar high.
“Like a flower that we see the beauty of for only a while, we all cherished every single day of Delaney’s 1,869 days on earth,” it said on the GoFundMe page set up in her honour. Everyone she met, and everyone she never did, was better for having known her.
Try to win her approval. Your heart could be shattered, just as ours was. A damaged heart, however, has crevices that the adhesive of love may now cover. Delaney, I hope you find true love in paradise.
Heather hopes that telling her daughter’s story will “create a wave of little acts of compassion. I think she was sent here to spread love in a world that desperately needs it. Just plain old love.
Put your wings back up, angel.
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Update on the tragic story of the wonderful child that changed the world: Our little angel has flown the coop.
