The kitchen counter at the Sanford's Dallas home is filled with arrangements of pink flowers. They are in honor of Cecilia 'Ceci' Sanford.
"When she was a little less than a year old, we noticed that her movements weren't normal," her dad Dr. Ethan Sanford said. "She had no idea anything was wrong with her."
Ceci was just over one year old when an MRI on Halloween last year showed a concerning tumor on the nerves of her lower spine. A biopsy didn't give doctors or her parents any answers.
"That's when we realized that was going to be something very strange and rare," Sanford said. "Without knowing what type of tumor she had or what was going on, we didn't really know how to approach the situation or how to treat the issue," Ceci's mom Dr. Nina Sanford said. "That was tough."
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Five weeks after finding the tumor, Ceci died.
"Every day she was living her best life," Nina Sanford said. "Today is exactly one year since the day Ceci died."
On Tuesday, the Sanfords dedicated a bench at Children's Health in Ceci's honor. They've also used a fund they started when she was sick to start the Ceci's Fund for Clinical Research Endowment to help children like Ceci.
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"Even though you lack control of certain aspects of your life, you can exert control and try to make all other aspects of your life as meaningful and purposeful and joyful as possible," Ethan Sanford said.
For more information about Ceci's Fund for Clinical Research Endowment, click here.
