TEXTS FROM ANNALISE

The first time Annalise showed symptoms, was June 27, 2019. This was just about two weeks into her summer vacation. She spent most of July on the couch, too weak to go to camp, play with friends, or her brother. Thus, she needed an outlet. All winter and spring she had begged for a phone. I was totally against it and told her that she couldn’t get her own phone until 8th grade (https://www.waituntil8th.org/). However, this illness was forcing her into isolation, so I relented and surprised her by setting up an iCloud account just for her iPad, so she could iMessage. I’m so glad I did, because it opened up a line of communication that I wasn’t expecting, and one that I can now look back on fondly. I’d do anything to get a message from her today.
Here are just a few of the more memorable ones:

The first text she ever sent me

The first selfie she ever sent me

July 24, 2019

She discovered GIFs

MY ATTEMPTS TO CHEER HER UP

WHEN SHE FOUND OUT SHE HAD CELIAC DISEASE

I THINK SHE WAS TROLLING ME IN THIS ONE,
OR ELSE SHE WROTE A TEXT POEM?

WHEN SHE WAS OBSESSED WITH THAT CHARMIN COMMMERCIAL

HER REACTION TO US PLAYING MUSTACHE SMASH FOR THE FIRST TIME

WHEN SHE MISSED ME

AUG. 7TH
THE LAST TEXT I HAVE FROM BEFORE WE DISCOVERED HER BRAIN TUMOR
AND BRAIN SURGERY

Annalise came out of surgery and having lost her “working memory,”
which meant that she struggled holding on to anything that was happening from one moment to the next.
Her speech was slow and flat-sounding, like she had NO emotions.
I figured that the iPad might help – by giving her a new, yet familiar, way to communicate.
Slowly, she started to recover her long term memory…

WHEN SHE REMEMBERED TIME

WHEN HER BROTHER WAS IN THE HOSPITAL

THAT TIME I TRIED TO TEACH HER TO TEXT BETTER

ALL HER CHRISTMAS MESSAGES

THIS ME-MOJI

THE LAST TEXT SHE EVER SENT ME

This last set of texts show how much she was struggling. She had double vision. She was confused at times. And she was losing the ability to type. And yet, I think that the final GIF she sent speaks volumes for who she was and what was in her heart, even if she couldn’t fully communicate what was in it.