Walker: Mary Elizabeth Paris, an angel too soon gone

In May 1951, Hentz Houser, an outstanding and handsome senior at Perry High School was critically injured in a diving accident. The accident resulted in Hentz being a quadriplegic — meaning his four extremities were paralyzed. This galvanized the Perry community as nothing had done before (not even Perry High School basketball). Hentz died on August 7, 1955.

Nothing brought people together in our community like Hentz's accident and death until Mary Elizabeth Paris developed leukemia — acute myeloid leukemia, which resulted in her death at age 12. With modern technology, Mary Elizabeth's ordeal is known by so many more people with over 11,000 people following her journey on Facebook. Her example literally changed people's lives.

You, too, need to know her story. Her grandfather, Joe Posey, has eloquently and poignantly written of Mary Elizabeth's ordeal and death. Here it is: Mary Elizabeth Paris, an angel too soon gone.

"She was the best granddaughter anyone could have. She was perfect. She was beautiful, sweet and smart. She loved life, her family and her friends. She always wanted to help others. She made friends with those who others scorned.

"When she turned 10 she announced that she didn't want presents. She wanted to give to others who didn't have what she had. She collected over $1,500 of toiletries for the Methodist Children's Home in Macon, Georgia. That's just the way she was.

"A little over a year later she began to get sick. She began to get headaches, backaches, and just didn't feel well. Her pediatrician said she was fine. Nothing looked out of the ordinary. They were wrong. She had leukemia — acute myeloid leukemia — which was a very aggressive and very rare type of this deadly disease.

"She entered the hospital to begin chemo treatments. She announced that no one was allowed to cry. She handled the terrible treatments with courage and tenacity. I asked her if she was angry that she had to go through this, she answered 'Oh, it's not so bad.'

"People sent her gifts. She gave them away. She felt the other kids in the hospital needed them more than she did. She didn't worry about herself but worried about the other sick kids.

"She missed her brother and sister and her pets. She missed school and her friends. She wanted to take French in middle school the next year. She never got the chance.

"She endured the chemo with grace. She lost her hair. She didn't care. When she felt like it she put on dangly earrings and a bow on her bald head. She was beautiful.

"Over 11,000 people followed her journey on Facebook. They fell in love with her. They prayed for her. They sent her things. She continued to give them away.

She endured pokes and pricks and surgeries. She took handfuls of pills. She was intubated twice. She almost died, but her spirit pulled her through.

"She endured 17 months of pain and misery. She maintained her faith in God throughout it all. The treatments didn't work, and she passed from this earth to her heavenly home. She's an angel now patiently waiting for those she loved to join her.

"She had the best doctors, the best hospitals, and the best treatments available. It wasn't enough. The drugs and treatments she received had changed very little over the past half century. Money for research isn't available. Only 4 percent of the federal funding for cancer research goes toward research on cancer in children. Although 16,000 children are diagnosed with cancer each year, 1,500,000 adults are diagnosed. Drugs are being developed for cancer in adults but not for children. Only three new drugs have been developed in the past 45 years!

"My granddaughter never had a chance. There were drugs that were very promising but weren't approved for those under 18; therefore, they weren't available for her. Our kids are dying because there isn't money to be made developing drugs for children with cancer.

"Is this what our country is about? Is it about letting our children die in order to make a buck?

"My granddaughter, Mary Elizabeth Paris, didn't make it. She's a statistic now. We've got enough statistics. What we need are cures. To find cures we need money for research. 4 percent is NOT ENOUGH."

Joe Posey is now a crusader for children with cancer. He is an excellent and interesting speaker and is available. Telephone him at 478-550-7113. Email him at jposey1003@yahoo.com.

Larry Walker is a practicing attorney in Perry. He served 32 years in the Georgia General Assembly, and presently serves on the University System of Georgia Board of Regents.

This story was originally published December 26, 2015 at 6:05 PM with the headline "Walker: Mary Elizabeth Paris, an angel too soon gone ."