Cancer
BRADENTON (Bay News 9) -- An 11-year-old girl is living with news only an adult should have to handle.
Megan Stevens has spent months at All Childrens' Hospital in St. Petersburg, but she's at home now because doctors have said there's nothing more they can do for her.
Stevens doesn't really know what it's like not to be sick. She's been battling cancer since she was 4 years old.
"It's kinda like normal to me," she said. "I get poked and everything else."
She found out she had acute lymphoblastic leukemia after falling off her bicycle and hitting her head. Blood tests revealed the disease.
Her mother thinks more routine blood work could have detected the cancer a lot sooner.
"As a parent you can't just give them a cookie or tell them it's going to be okay," said Michelle Stevens, Megan's mother.
Megan has been in remission a few times over the years, but she recently found out 80 percent of her blood is consumed by cancer.
Doctors believe she has about three months to live, but Megan has her own plans.
"I'm not going anywhere," she said.
Time with her family is at the top of Megan's wish list. So is staying away from hospital food, and she said a trip to Disney World would be nice. Last time she went Cinderella gave her a kiss.
"And I didn't want to wash it off, and it turned out I got in remission," Megan said.
Megan's family is setting up a trust fund to grant her wishes.
Disney World is one of them. They're also planning a benefit event in Manatee County in May.
Megan did have one last wish, but it isn't for herself.
She said she wants any leftover money from her trust fund to go to a friend she met here at All Childrens' Hospital. Her friend has just begun her battle with cancer.
The benefit for Megan is scheduled for Sunday, May 18 from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Ace's Lounge on Palma Sola Boulevard in Bradenton. The Megan Stevens trust fund is at SunTrust .
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