AN AWAKENING by Aimee Vaniglia

"Aim, hurry!  Get up!  We've gotta go."  At first I was startled and rather confused.  Why is my father getting me up at four in the morning?  As soon as my bare feet touched the floor, I knew.  My mind drifted to the hospital while I quickly pulled my clothes on.  Is she going to make it?


Sitting in the car watching the familiar houses and offices go by, to me the short trip seemed like an eternity.  I reflected on all the times I should have gone to visit her but had stubbornly refused.  Feeling of regret instantly filled my heart.  I didn't want to believe the despairing thoughts that were rushing to my mind, but I felt overwhelmed by the cold realization that they could be true.

My father was silent as the heavy metal doors of the elevator slowly closed out the bustling hospital lobby.  During the endless ride to her floor, the stillness led me to feel more and more nervous.  Mom met us with an exhausted, downcast look on her face.

          "Is she going to be all right?"  I asked her.

          After a long pause, my mother slowly replied, "Honestly....I don't know this time."

I walked down a long hallway and carefully opened her door.  The room was small and dimly lit, and as I approached her bed, I noticed how pale and weak she looked.

I will never forget standing beside her thinking how, more than anything, I wanted to see her get up and come home with us.  I looked away, trying to collect some optimism, and then turned back and studied the intrusive machines that surrounded her.  I held her soft, fail hand in mine and told her that she was going to get better.  My eyes welled with tears, which suddenly turned into sobs.  "You can't leave me now!  Please, you have to get better!  I pleaded.  As I stood there watching her with tears streaming down my face, my heart knew that what I had been fearing was true.  My time with her had come to an end, for she was now read to pass from this world to the next,,,a world where she would suffer no longer.

                     In loving memory of my sister, Candice     10/23/1994

Ode to My Sister

Her soft giggles

drifted through the air

light and cheerful

like water gently flowing

along a babbling brook



Her lighthearted nature

spread joy and happiness to all

like the pure delight

a playful puppy brings

to a small child


Her sunny disposition

was gentle yet isolated

like one fragile daisy

standing proud

in a vast meadow



Her bright smile

was peaceful and refreshing

like the encompassing warmth

and relaxing tranquility

of a carefree summer day



by Aimee Vaniglia '97

My Life and Love will Ripples Make...

Candi's Birthday ~ October 28th, 1981

The first page of Candi's baby album has the verse:

Like a single drop of rain

That on still waters fall

My life and love will ripples make

And touch the lives of all.

So read this precious story

As step by step I grow

I am a blessing and a gift

As each page here will show.

Full of love for this new little daughter and dreaming of pink dresses, proms and weddings, I loved this poem. I had no idea that our time with Candice would be so short and that her life, her story, would impact millions around the county. In fact, with the difficult pregnancy and dangerous birth we had already endured, I thought the worst was over. It had to be, it was a miracle she was even here! I feel so very thankful for the gift of this tiny daughter.

But that wasn't all, there was more. Something was wrong. Her pediatrician, Dr. Constance Glasgow and I knew it, but we could not find it. Six months and many, many trips to various specialists, we finally have a diagnosis, Candi has HYDROCEPHALUS. This terrifying news is followed immediately by brain surgery, then another, and another. My tiny baby endured it all with a sweetness that stole the hearts of everyone who cared for her. I am reminded of the poem in the beginning of her baby book, “My life and love will ripples make and touch the lives of all.” Wow, little one, look at the lives you have touched!

Surely, now the worst was over now! We have a diagnosis and a cure - another miracle! Now I can just enjoy my little daughter. Joy and laughter fill our home. We are a happy family with two precious daughters and I feel incredibly blessed and grateful.

Oh how the ripples are spreading… I am invited to become part of a network of mothers called Parent/Friend. As a volunteer member of this organization, I took phone calls from families struggling with the news that their child has been diagnosed with hydrocephalus. I help them process this terrifying news. I listen to their stories, fears and questions, and share with them what it was like for our family, helping to comfort others with our story. I am amazed!

Little Candice – look what a difference you are making in your Mommy’s life and in the lives of so many others. You are “A blessing and a gift to all who know you.”

But the ripple would spread farther that I could ever imagine. Candice was destined for more, much more…