By Noble Brigham
Las Vegas Review-Journal
LAS VEGAS 鈥� Last Christmas, a baby named Savannah had just undergone her third round of chemotherapy after she was born with acute myeloid leukemia, her mother, Sarah Hansen, said.
Savannah was out of the hospital, but last year鈥檚 Christmas at the Ronald McDonald House in Los Angeles was still difficult, her mom said.
鈥淲e still weren鈥檛 getting to celebrate and do all those normal traditions,鈥� Hansen said. 鈥淓ven though we were together, it still felt different. It just wasn鈥檛 the joyous Christmas I had envisioned for her first holidays.鈥�
Savannah, now a 1-year-old, has been in remission since January, and her mother and her father hope that this holiday will be a true celebration for her and her brothers.
On Friday, Savannah toddled out of her family鈥檚 Las Vegas home with her mother and watched as an ambulance pulled up, lights flashing, and Santa came over to meet her while EMS workers unloaded a gurney laden with brightly wrapped gifts.
Savannah didn鈥檛 show much of a reaction, but she accepted a candy cane from Santa. Her mother was more visibly excited. She said the gifts were 鈥渁 lot of help鈥� and more than she had expected.
The gift delivery was organized by Community Ambulance and the Candlelighters Childhood Cancer Foundation of Nevada.
Kaitlyn Rogers-Lizares, who works in public relations at Community Ambulance, said the company asked to be assigned to two families. They will visit another family on Saturday.
鈥淐hristmas is more about giving than receiving,鈥� she said.
Hansen said her daughter loves baby dolls and wooden toys. 鈥淪he鈥檚 trouble,鈥� she said. 鈥淪he鈥檚 into everything.鈥�
Savannah鈥檚 wish list included wooden Fisher-Price toys, Disney princess items, puzzles and books, according to Rogers-Lizares.
鈥淭he little kid鈥檚 a warrior,鈥� Sarah Hansen said. She said it鈥檚 a challenge to adjust to normal life after what the family has been through. Whenever she sees a spot on her daughter, Hansen said, she calls the oncologist.
Savannah wasn鈥檛 expected to live longer than six months, even with treatment, Hansen said. 鈥淔or so long, it had been hard to look to the future and not just live moment to moment,鈥� she said.
Her daughter鈥檚 cancer also has been hard on her sons, Logan, 8, and Matthew, 6, she said. The boys requested gifts, too. Both wanted 鈥淪tar Wars鈥� and Pokemon items, plus Hot Wheels for Matthew and board games for Logan, according to Rogers-Lizares.
Community Ambulance also bought the family gift cards to Walmart, Target and Costco to buy more gifts and food for Christmas dinner, Rogers-Lizares said.
Even though Savannah was the center of a lot of attention, she doesn鈥檛 know it鈥檚 Christmastime, her mother said.
鈥淪he has no idea what it means to come down the stairs on Christmas morning, so that will be exciting,鈥� Hansen said. 鈥淪he鈥檒l be surprised.鈥�
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