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THAT’S HOW JESSICA AND CORY CRAIG LOVINGLY DESCRIBE THEIR YOUNGEST DAUGHTER, LENOX. YEAH, SHE’S SOMETHING THEY’LL ALSO TELL YOU. MOST IMPORTANTLY, THOUGH, THE ALBIA FIFTH GRADER IS A SURVIVOR SHOWING CANCER. IT WAS NO MATCH FOR HER IN THE CRAIG HOUSEHOLD. IT’S OKAY IF THE PAINT MISSES THE MARK. WHAT DO YOU LIKE SO MUCH ABOUT ART? SOMETIMES I CAN JUST PUT MY FEELINGS OUT ON A PAGE OR ON A CANVAS, OR OBVIOUSLY ON A TABLE. IN THIS FAMILY, YOU’LL FIND STREAKS OF COLOR EVERYWHERE. THAT INCLUDES THE KITCHEN TABLE AND EVEN THEIR HAIR. I’M LIKE, WE LOST OUR HAIR FOUR TIMES. GO DYE YOUR HAIR. YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? LIKE, WE TRY TO LIVE FOR THOSE MOMENTS. THEY KNOW HOW PRECIOUS THESE MOMENTS ARE AND ALSO HOW SCARY A MOMENT CAN BE. IT WAS A WHIRLWIND. YEAH. YOU KNOW. SORRY. IT JUST ALL HAPPENED AT ONCE. IT WAS FALL OF 2020. LENOX WAS FIVE AND ALL OF A SUDDEN WASN’T FEELING WELL. SHE CAME BACK TO US AND SAID HER ARM WAS ASLEEP. AND THEN PROBABLY FIVE, TEN MINUTES LATER, CAME AND GOT US AGAIN. AND I JUST I REMEMBER THINKING LIKE SOMETHING THAT’S NOT RIGHT. COREY SAYS LENOX THEN BECAME EXTREMELY LETHARGIC AND STOPPED RESPONDING. SO WE JUST LITERALLY SAID, WE GOT TO GO NOW. THEY RUSHED TO THE HOSPITAL AND BEFORE THEY KNEW IT, THEIR FIVE YEAR OLD WAS AIRLIFTED TO IOWA CITY. I REMEMBER THEM TELLING US THAT IT WAS ONCOLOGY AND HEMATOLOGY TAKING US, AND I KNEW INSTANTLY MY BROTHER HAD CANCER AS A KID. I KNEW EXACTLY WHERE WE WERE HEADED. I REMEMBER LOOKING AT HIM AND SAYING, I THINK IT’S CANCER. A CONFIRMED DIAGNOSIS WOULD SOON FOLLOW. LENOX HAD LEUKEMIA. IT WAS GUT WRENCHING. WHAT’S THE FIRST THING THAT YOU REMEMBER? WAKING UP IN A HOSPITAL BED. IT’S OKAY, JESSICA SAYS. LENOX RECEIVED SEVERAL BLOOD TRANSFUSIONS THAT FIRST NIGHT, BEGINNING A MULTI YEAR CONQUEST TO OVERCOME THIS DISEASE. IN THE THICK OF THE PANDEMIC, I JUST FEEL LIKE TREATMENT WAS ISOLATING AND TERRIFYING. AND IT WAS WEEKLY TRIPS TO IOWA CITY FOR A VERY LONG TIME. THOSE TREATMENTS INCLUDED STEROIDS AND CHEMO. EVEN THE TRIUMPHS SEEMED MUTED. THE LITTLE GIRL WHO WAS SO FULL OF LIFE WAS A WHOLE NEW PERSON. BY THE END OF THAT, YOU WOULDN’T. SORRY, KIDDO. TALKING ABOUT YOU LIKE YOU’RE NOT HERE. YOU WOULDN’T RECOGNIZE HER. I MEAN. I DON’T EVEN KNOW HOW TO DESCRIBE IT. IT WAS A TRYING TIME FOR EVERYONE, INCLUDING BIG SISTER ESME. I REMEMBER SEVERAL NIGHTS SHE’D PULL ME IN THE HALLWAY AND ASK ME, LIKE, IS GOING TO DIE. AND OF COURSE, YOU DON’T WANT TO TELL HER. NO, IT’S A POSSIBILITY. SO I REMEMBER TELLING HER THAT THE DOCTORS ARE DOING EVERYTHING THEY CAN. THAT’S ALL YOU CAN HOPE FOR. THERE’S JUST SO MANY THINGS THAT COME UP WITH LITTLE ONES THAT THOSE CONVERSATIONS SHOULDN’T NEED TO BE HAD, YOU KNOW? BUT THEY NEEDED TO BE HAD. IN OUR CASE, JESSICA AND COREY MARVEL AT HOW STRONG BOTH OF THEIR GIRLS ARE. OUR VERY LAST STEROID. AND NOW THAT LENOX IS BACK TO HER OLD SELF, ORNERY, DRIVING US CRAZY, DANCING ALL OVER THE HOUSE, SHE WANTS TO GIVE STRENGTH TO OTHERS IN THEIR FIGHT. GIVE THEM SOME GOOD ADVICE. IT’S GOING TO END UP OKAY. IT’S TOUGH, BUT WE’LL GET THROUGH IT. YEAH. THE CRAIGS SAY THEY NOW REALLY CHERISH THE LITTLE THINGS, INCLUDING ART TIME, LIKE LIFE. PAINTING CAN GET A BIT MESSY. WHAT REALLY MATTERS IS THAT THEY STILL GET TO DO ALL OF IT TOGETHER. THAT LOOKS PRETTY GOOD. LENOX KATIE MADE YOU LOOK LIKE A FISH. AND THAT IS A STRONG LITTLE GIRL IN A STRONG FAMILY, RIGHT? THERE. LENOX IS THE 2025. LIGHT THE NIGHT. DES MOINES PEDIATRIC HONORED HERO AND WILL BE AT THE WALK SATURDAY NIGHT AT DMACC IN ANKENY. THE EVENT IS HOSTED BY BLOOD CANCER UNITED, FORMERLY THE LEUKEMIA AND LYMPHOMA SOCIETY. I HAVE THE HONOR OF EMCEEING. YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION ABOUT LIGHT THE NIGHT IN THIS STORY ON OUR WEBSITE.