TEAM TIFFANY!

CHOC Walk

2009-08-23T14:25:00.000-07:00

Tiffany's cousin Diana let us know about an upcoming event where family, friends, and anyone who would like to support the memory and spirit of Tiffany can go to Disneyland to walk in memory of Tiffany. This supports Children's Hospital of Orange County (CHOC), where Tiffany received excellent, compassionate care.

Here are the details:

CHOC Walk in Memory of Tiffany Nguyen
October 18,2009
Team Name--Tiffany's Dream

Team Captain--Diana Huynh
Register at www.chocwalk.org

Cost: $50

Diana asks participants to please wear a pink t-shirt or something pink--that's Tiffany favorite color.

Diana also mentioned that there is a Tupperware fundraiser associated with the CHOC Walk; for more details e-mail Debbie Nguyen at rebod3@yahoo.com.

Article About Tiffany in the Baron Banner

2009-02-09T17:19:00.000-08:00

Tiffany's story was featured in the online and print versions of the Baron Banner, the newspaper of Tiffany's Fountain Valley High School. Click here to read: http://baronbanner.com/2009/02/fvhs-freshman-leaves-a-beautiful-legacy/

2009-02-09T13:33:00.000-08:00

Vista View Middle School DVD Drive

2009-02-07T23:06:00.000-08:00

Click here for full details - There will be a DVD drive at Vista View Middle School from February 9th - 13th. Childrens' Hospital of Orange County ("CHOC") provided Tiffany with extremely wonderful and caring treatment. This DVD drive is to help those young patients who have to spend months at CHOC, and being able to watch your new or used DVDs can help make that stay more tolerable. Again, click here for full details!

Essay from Quynh- Memories of Tiffany

2009-01-23T21:48:00.000-08:00

Tiffany's friend Quynh wrote a beautiful essay about Tiffany. She is from Vietnam, and has come to America for college. She met Tiffany because her dad is one of Tiffany's dad's best friends. Tiffany and Quynh had a very special relationship. To see the essay, click here...

TIFFANY MOMENTS

2008-12-28T10:36:00.001-08:00

We wanted to give everyone a way to share their Tiffany experiences - past and present. We've heard from people who feel that they have experienced her "spiritual presence," even after she's left us physically. If you have a fun memory of her you'd like to share, or have had a new visit from her, please share it with everyone by leaving a comment attached to the end of this post....

Tiffany Slideshow

2008-12-28T10:16:00.000-08:00

One of Tiffany's best friends, Vy, made a beautiful video of Tiffany. Click here to watch. I particularly thought it was nice to see this, because we've mostly seen the "family" side of Tiffany - it's great to see her other life with her friends. Thank you very much, Vy!

If you miss Tiffany's voice like we do, click here to hear her talking to a her cousin Sabrina!

"Tiffany's Dream"

2008-12-26T22:32:00.000-08:00

Click here to learn about "Tiffany's Dream", a program established by Tiffany's dad, aunts, and cousins to honor and remember Tiffany in a way she would have have chosen: helping other children who are experiencing the same struggles she did.

2008-12-05T21:09:00.000-08:00

Tiffany peacefully passed away at 2:28 AM on Friday, December 5, 2008, surrounded by her mother, father, cousins, and aunts. We can take comfort in knowing that she is now in a better place. As Tiffany goes on her way, we are left with so many happy, sweet memories of the wonderful, loving person we all remember. She will live on forever in our hearts. We love you Tiffany, and we always will.

Back to the Hospital - Treatments :(

2008-11-21T22:06:00.001-08:00

Tiffany is in the hospital. She had started a new type of chemotherapy, an experimental trial, and her body reacted badly to it after a few days. So she has been in the hospital for a couple of weeks now. The new medicine was really irritating to Tiffany's body, even her skin was super dry and itchy. Her hair was starting to fall out, so her mom shaved it all off rather than watching it float away day by day!

The doctors are testing Tiffany now to see if there is anything else going on, like fluid in her lungs, or anything pushing on her lungs. Her throat was really irritated from the medicine, and now breathing is uncomfortable if she's not positioned upright (in the hospital bed, she's inclined so she can sleep easier). We'll keep you updated with how she's doing, but for now keep her in your thoughts and prayers.

Two Dorothys

2008-11-01T18:41:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween!

New Puppy!

2008-10-11T21:20:00.000-07:00

Tiffany got a new puppy! He's a tiny little guy, and his name is Kiwi. He weighs something like 3 pounds! We'll put pictures up when we have them....

High Schooler!

2008-09-01T21:21:00.000-07:00

Tiffany is off to high school. She's growing up so fast! She is in 9th grade at Fountain Valley High School. Go Barons! FVHS's most famous alumni include Michelle Pfiffer and Mr. Hurley, who started Billabong and, of course, Hurley. It's a great school. Tiffany's cousins Diana and Timmy go there and she has lots of friends going there too.

The Graduate (with Special Honors!)

2008-06-11T21:40:00.000-07:00

Tiffany is done with middle school! She is graduating from Vista View. She got one of the best honors a student could receive: a special award from the local Masons. In the whole Huntington Beach school district, only 12 kids receive this award each year. There was a very special awards dinner and ceremony. Tiffany's math teacher, Mr. Parsek, made a very touching speech about what a special student and person Tiffany is. We are very, very, very proud of you, Tiffany!

DePorted!

2008-02-02T17:15:00.000-08:00

Cancer patients need tons of shots - injections of chemotherapy, so many draws of blood to see how they're doing. Instead of getting stuck hundreds of times, they usually get a "port" put in - it's a place that the doctors put a direct path from the port (just under the skin) into a large vein. So it's easier to get all those shots. And it stays in until it's not needed anymore.

Tiffany had one of these, and she just got it out last week. So while it wasn't uncomfortable most of the time, she still didn't want to get knocked there. But now she's cool, so if you're playing dodgeball with her, go ahead and nail her!

Class Schedule

2007-09-15T11:09:00.000-07:00

Tiffany has her six classes set - she's taking HONORS (wow, Tiffany!) algebra, HONORS English ("Lit-Lang"), social studies, science, P.E. (yes, her doctor said it's cool), and drama. We think drama sounds wonderful - she had to do a small audition to get into the class, and they'll put on a play. She's already a great singer and dancer (sorry Tiff, don't get mad we told everyone), and we think she'll do fantastic in drama class!

Back to School

2007-08-30T11:07:00.000-07:00

Tiffany is back to school today - she starts 8th grade!

Tiffany Potter

2007-08-14T10:46:00.000-07:00

Tiffany got to go to Mann's Chinese Theater in L.A. to see Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. This was a fancy trip - she went in a limo, got to sit in the VIP section - this was courtesy of "Mr. Joe's" foundation, the same one that took her to Disneyland earlier this summer. She said the experience was very fun - she liked the movie and thought it was really cool to visit that theater, with celebrity handprints in the sidewalk.

Legoland!

2007-07-28T01:02:00.000-07:00

We went to Legoland with Tiffany. It was neat to see, but I think it is more for little kids. I think Tiffany had fun being with everyone!

Happy Birthday, TEENAGER!

2007-07-10T23:03:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday, Tiffany!! She turns 13 today! There was a party on Sunday at the park with lots of family & friends. There was a huge water balloon fight. Everyone got wet, even cousin Timmy!

Back from Camp!

2007-07-04T14:01:00.001-07:00

Tiffany is back from Camp Ronald McDonald for Good Times! She had such a good time! Here are some pictures of her with all her camp-mates, and especially the girls from Cabin 8. Also, she went up in a hot air balloon, rode Wizard the horse, and danced the night away (that's counselor Steven next to her).

Tiffany's Going to Camp!

2007-06-26T19:08:00.000-07:00

Tiffany leaves tomorrow for the fantastic Camp Ronald McDonald for Good Times! She'll be gone for one week.

It's a place for cancer patients and survivors - kids up to age 18. The facility is close to Palm Springs, so it will be nice and warm during the day, and still be cool at night. They plan a ton of activities - things like archery, swimming, canoeing, and horseback riding.

Have fun, Tiffany! We'll miss you (and her parents will too - this is her first overnight camp)!

Last Day of School

2007-06-17T19:32:00.000-07:00

Tiffany & Co. took lots of pictures on the last day of school.

Knott's Berry Farm Pics

2007-06-16T19:46:00.000-07:00

It was an all-day affair - they were there from 9:00AM - 7:30PM. Notice that Tiffany and Kathy are by far the biggest kids on the "Supreme Scream"!

Field Trip!

2007-06-13T15:31:00.000-07:00

Tiffany is going on a very educational field trip today - Knott's Berry Farm! This last week of school is very tough.

Don't Let Tiffany Stay at Your Hotel

2007-06-11T15:50:00.000-07:00

Tiffany really gets hyper in a hotel!

Awards Night at School

2007-06-08T04:56:00.000-07:00

Tiffany went to awards night Wednesday with her mom and dad. She made the honor roll! It's a great achievement, especially considering the time she had to spend being home schooled, and now that she's back full-time, she's often missing classes for doctor appointments and tests. We are very proud of you, Tiffany!!

Pics from Tiffany's Make-A-Wish Weekend!

2007-06-04T19:36:00.001-07:00

Tiffany's Make-A-Wish experience was this past weekend. She stayed at Disney's Grand Californian from Sunday until Wednesday. Tiffany said the hotel was the "besterest ever!" She went to Disneyland, Disney's California Adventure, Knott's Berry Farm, Medieval Times, and lots of fun restaurants. She had fun with her mom and dad, best friend Marissa, and friends and family Jade, Emily, Diana, Dorothy, Cindy, Jeanette, Jennifer, Ut, Ba Noi, Matt, Kathy, Brigitte, and Sabrina.

A huge thank you to Make-A-Wish for making this happen. Tiffany had fun the entire time!

Makin' Bugs

2007-05-26T14:31:00.000-07:00

Tiffany and Gitte made bugs at Lakeshore Learning today out of some fun Play-Doh stuff! Fun! Tiffany is so excited for her Make-A-Wish experience, which starts tomorrow!!!

Tiffany's is Famous (O.C. Register)!

2007-05-17T17:31:00.000-07:00

Remember when Tiffany got to go to Disneyland a few weeks back? It turns out she was in the newspaper! That's her on the left.

Buddies at the Beach

2007-05-13T15:36:00.000-07:00

Tiffany's Leadership class cleaned up Newport Beach on Friday. She took fun pictures first with her friends Marissa and Kim, with Jennie and Kim, and then with (great teacher) Mrs. Mainard, Marissa, Dina, Ashley, Emily, Brittany, Jennie, and Kim. They went to a pizza shop and the Beach Fun Zone arcade. They buried their friend Taylor so just her head was sticking out of the sand. And by the way, the beach got cleaner too!

Make-A-Wish "Reveal" Party

2007-05-07T10:31:00.000-07:00

Tiffany's Make-A-Wish Foundation "reveal" party was so much fun yesterday. It was supposed to be a simple party where the Make-A-Wish people present Tiffany with their plans to grant her Wish. But this party went far beyond what we were led to expect. Tiffany's "angel" Brittanie from Make-A-Wish very generously hosted the party at her own house for Tiffany's friends and family. The big surprise was that Cinderella showed up! She looked exactly like what you'd expect from the movies. She led the girls in party games, a fashion show, and dancing, and even sang songs. Cinderella and Brittanie showered Tiffany (and friends) with gifts throughout the party. Tiffany had a great day!!

Temple

2007-05-05T16:20:00.000-07:00

We went to the (Buddhist) temple today. Here are some pics!

Baby Brian

2007-05-05T12:33:00.000-07:00

Tiffany has a new nephew - Brian is around 7 weeks old. She's a pro at giving him the bottle, and has even changed diapers (#2!).

Pics of Tiff's New Computer

2007-05-05T12:31:00.000-07:00

It is quite cool. That's Tiffany's "thumbs up" in the picture. And the big flat screen monitor is very nice!!

Computer Certificate

2007-05-03T19:36:00.000-07:00

Tiffany's "uncles" Harrison and Cung did a great job assembling Tiffany's computer by hand. They didn't just go buy a pre-made computer - they went to Fry's (multiple times!) to get the parts needed to made Tiffany's computer very special. It has a see-through side window and blue lights inside so you can see the inner workings. Very cool, and Tiffany loves it!!

Here's the certificate the DNDN Tennis Group presented to her with the computer.

Party & Computer for Tiffany from DNDN Tennis Group, Kim Yem

2007-05-01T08:57:00.000-07:00

Many many thanks to the DNDN Tennis Group and president Kim Yen for throwing a wonderful party for Tiffany on Sunday and presenting her with...a new computer! The members of the group pitched together and came up with the money to buy a very nice computer - big flat screen monitor and all! A big thank you to the DNDN Tennis Group!

Make-A-Wish - Dates Set!

2007-04-26T09:59:00.000-07:00

Brittanie from Make-A-Wish has been working hard on Tiffany's Wish and has set the dates when things will be happening:

May 5: Party for in Laguna Nigel
May 26-28: Stay at Disney's Grand Californian hotel, get to go to Disneyland, Knott's Berry Farm, Medieval Times, etc.

It should be a ton of fun for Tiffany!

Sweet Message on Tiffany's Guestbook

2007-04-23T22:28:00.000-07:00

Tiffany's mom (but she looks like she's her older sister) wrote a very sweet message on Tiffany's guestbook:

Name : Mommy!

How Do You Know Tiffany? : I'm her MOM

Date : April 23, 2007

Message : I am so proud of you! Because you are very strong during all of your treatments. I love you very very very very very much!

Hooky!

2007-04-18T11:52:00.000-07:00

Tiffany is not at school today - she took the day off to go to Disneyland with the Child Life Specialist from her oncologist's office. Good for you, Tif!!

Happy Easter

2007-04-11T11:54:00.000-07:00

We had an Easter celebration with Tiffany - we went on an Easter egg hunt. She had some tough 2-year-old competition for eggs, but she's so nice that Brigitte got plenty!

Spring Break!

2007-04-01T21:20:00.000-07:00

Tiffany is on spring break this week. She has some fun things planned, including going to see The Last Mimsy at the movies and going to the arcade with her cousin Diana.

Another fun trip Tiffany has coming up is a visit to Disneyland. The Child Life Specialist from her oncologist's office is going to take 12 patients on April 18th. She'll miss school that day, but it's for a good cause (FUN!).

First Day of School

2007-03-19T15:21:00.000-07:00

Tiffany is back in school! Today was her first day. She said it was fun to see everyone - friends and teachers too. Everyone was crowded around her during the "nutrition break" (that means recess). This week is parent conference week, so school lets out at 12:05 all week.

Tiffany got into Honors "Lit Lang" which is shorthand for Literature and Language, which is really English class for us older people. Tiffany is excited to be back in school!

Master Cookiemaker Tiffany

2007-03-18T11:09:00.000-07:00

Bye, Ms. Pam!

2007-03-14T15:38:00.000-07:00

Tiffany had her last day of home-schooling today with Ms. Pam! Regular school starts on Monday. She'll have four classes instead of six - she will have:

math
English
science
social studies

Her other two classes are on hold for now - she won't have:

P.E.
elective (Leadership class)

Tiffany is looking forward to getting back to school and friends. She's pretty excited!

Tiffany & Co.

2007-03-09T16:44:00.000-08:00

This was in December 2006. Clockwise from Tiffany: Emily, Tammy, Marissa, Becky, Jade, and Christine. Yep, Emily and Marissa are twins!

March 19 = Back to School!

2007-03-09T15:53:00.000-08:00

It's (semi-) official: Tiffany is going back to school on March 19th!

Back to School!

2007-03-06T09:54:00.000-08:00

Sorry we haven't written for a while! We (the writers) have been travelling, and we're back now but the whole family is SICK! So we haven't been able to see Tiffany for a couple of weeks. But we do have a very exciting development to report....

Tiffany's doctor told her she can go back to school in two weeks! Her immune system is getting better, to the point where it isn't as much of a sickness risk for her to be around people (of course, she'll still have to be careful about germs). But it's so exciting that she'll get to be back with her friends and have a more normal life. We're really excited for you, Tiffany!

Chuc Mung Nam Moi

2007-02-19T12:26:00.000-08:00

Chuc Mung Nam Moi - Happy New Year! In Vietnamese culture, the lunar new year is celebrated, and Sunday was New Year's Day. It's now the year of the Pig (there's a 12-year rotation of animals - Tiffany is a Dog, her dad is a Monkey, Grandma is a Dragon, etc.).

To celebrate, Tiffany's family got together, lots of the girls dressed up (outfits from the Vietnamese shopping center Phuoc Loc Tho), and the older generation gave money in red envelopes ("li xi") to the youngsters. Since it was Tiffany's grandmother's 80th birthday, everyone went out to eat and then went to uncle and aunt Cau Son and Di Nam's house for a surprise birthday party for Ba Noi. Tiffany's aunts Ut, Di Nam, and Ma Chau organized the whole thing and Ba Noi was really surprised! And Tiffany even got to have her favorite dessert - mint chocolate chip ice cream cake!

Wii Are Excited for You, Tiffany!

2007-02-14T10:35:00.000-08:00

Tiffany finally got her Wii! (It's the new Nintendo game system). Stores have been out of stock for months, but a friend of her mom's saw one and got it for her! How nice! And Tiffany said it's lots of fun.

CHOCoholic!

2007-02-12T18:30:00.000-08:00

Tiffany went back to CHOC (Children's Hospital of Orange County) today, rushed to the emergency room because of pain in her chest on the left side (her tumor and surgery were on the right-center side).

After running a bunch of tests, the doctors say that she's fine, and that what she was feeling was a muscle pull - possibly because she has been craving exercise and finally got to go on an exercise bike, and she overdid it. She's back home now. We're glad you're OK, Tiffany! Boy, you really miss that place (CHOC), don't you?

Make-A-Wish

2007-02-10T06:22:00.000-08:00

Tiffany and her family met with Brittanie and Audrey from the Orange County chapter (wishoc.org) of the Make-A-Wish Foundation (wish.org) last night. Make-a-Wish wanted to get to know Tiffany and to help her explore thoughts of what would be her favorite Wish.

Tiffany came up with some great ideas (for now, let's keep the Wish a surprise!), and Make-A-Wish is going to start working to make it all happen. There is some prep time needed, and Tiffany's Wish will probably happen in April (possibly May). In the meantime, that gives her body more time to heal post-chemo and build up her immune system!

Zoo Day

2007-02-07T21:24:00.000-08:00

We went to the L.A. Zoo today - Tiffany and her dad, grandma (ba noi), Aunt Ut, cousins Matt & Kathy and their girls, and Matt's sister Andy and her boys (thanks for the zoo passes, Andy!). We did a ton of walking but took it slow so that no one got too tired. It was a lot of fun and a very full day!

Finished With Chemo!

2007-01-30T22:36:00.000-08:00

Tiffany is back home, after finishing her last series of chemotherapy! She's been through a lot of medical procedures and always surprises us by how cheerful she manages to be. We're so happy, and so proud of her for making it through all of her treatments.

Tiffany's Last Chemo!

2007-01-25T18:04:00.000-08:00

Tiffany's back at CHOC, starting her last session of chemotherapy today. We're excited for her to start recovering from this one (the last day of treatment should be Monday).

For the past seven chemos, her body gets hit hard initially (blood cell counts drop, hair falls out, etc.), then starts to recover - only to get hit with chemo again in a few weeks. This time will be really nice in that Tiffany can keep healing!

Bracelets!

2007-01-21T17:27:00.000-08:00

Tiffany's cousins Jeanette & Jennifer had bracelets custom made for people to wear and help keep Tiffany in their thoughts. They had 1,000 bracelets made - half in pink and half in blue. Tiffany designed a small flyer to give out with the bracelets - it starts, "My goal is to live a long, happy, and healthy life," and ends with, "When you wear this bracelet keep me in your prayers as they will be my source of support and love from you."

Jeanette and Jennifer made these bracelets partially as a fundraiser for Tiffany - feel free to donate (it's optional!). They intend to use the money to either give Tiffany a "reward" as she recovers - something like an outing or trip - or to add to her college fund. Tiffany is so sweet that she said she wants to donate half to CHOC (Children's Hospital of Orange County)!

Blood Transfusion

2007-01-19T16:18:00.000-08:00

Tiffany's red blood cells and white cells were both low, so yesterday she had to go in to get another blood transfusion. She arrived at CHOC at 10:00 AM and they told her there would be a delay - something with the computers being down. Poor Tiffany had to wait all day, until 9:00 PM, to start her transfusion! Receiving blood takes a few hours, so she didn't get out of there until midnight.

C is for Cookie

2007-01-10T15:53:00.000-08:00

Tiffany made some delicious chocolate chip cookies at our house. The only problem with them was not her fault - I (Matt) let them cook too long. Sorry, Tiffany - they were still good!

Gitte had fun at the park, maybe a little too much fun (I see you in the picture, looking at her like she's a weirdo for laughing so much!)

Lookin' Good!

2007-01-01T22:00:00.000-08:00

Tiffany is finished with her next-to-last chemo, and will come home tomorrow. She just had a CAT scan, where they look to see if any tumor(s) show up in her body, and the only thing showing up is where her original tumor was, and that is much smaller! Tomorrow she's going to have a different test called a PET scan - another way of looking for cancerous cells. We have our fingers crossed for that one to look good too.

Sign Tiffany's Guestbook

2006-12-29T15:52:00.000-08:00

NEW!! This website has a guestbook feature now! Now you can leave any messages for Tiffany - let her know you're thinking about her. There will always be a link at the top of this page, but to make it even easier for you, CLICK HERE.

Chemo Again

2006-12-28T12:58:00.000-08:00

Tiffany is back at CHOC - same as before with 5 days of treatments, 1 day to recover, and then she's back home again.

She has this chemo, then just one more and she'll have completed the whole course of treatment! Whoooo!

Merry Christmas!

2006-12-25T17:58:00.000-08:00

Tiffany had a very nice Christmas (we assume!). She spent Christmas Eve in Westminster at her cousins Matt & Kathy's (a.k.a. us), and Christmas day in Riverside at cousin Cassie's house (happy 18th birthday, Cassie!). People were very generous with gifts for Tiffany - thank you to everyone who was so nice!!

The Plan

2006-12-16T10:26:00.000-08:00

Here is the tentative plan for the rest of Tiffany's treatment: she has two chemothapy therapies left - one in December and one in January. She'll need some time to recover and build up her strength / immune system, then she'll return to school (seventh grade) in March!

Radiation Treatments All Done!!

2006-12-12T14:02:00.000-08:00

Tiffany did her last radiation treatment today! She is so happy to have finished! Children's Hospital/ Los Angeles gave her a beautiful diploma for finishing the course of therapy "Summa Cum Laude" for being cheerful, brave, fun, and friendly!

Buddies!

2006-12-08T10:27:00.000-08:00

Back Where She Belongs

2006-12-04T15:59:00.000-08:00

Yay! Tiffany's back home! And she has just 5 more days of radiation visits at CHLA.

AND her feeding tube is out! Swallowing doesn't feel good, and dry/ scratchy foods are out of the question, but we're happy to have the feeding tube gone for now.

She needs a break from the radiation - in addition to messing with her esophagus and swallowing, she's also developed what looks like a very bad sunburn. It's actually a radiation burn, but it's basically the same thing as if you left yourself out in the intense sun forever. It will be very nice when the radiation is over and her body can heal itself.

Chemo #6

2006-11-27T12:15:00.000-08:00

Tiffany's doing her sixth chemotherapy treatment. She's staying at Children's Hospital/ Los Angeles for the week, and will continue to get her radiation at the same time.

This will be her last chemo at CHLA - from now on she'll be back at CHOC.

Feeding Tube

2006-11-24T21:29:00.000-08:00

Tiffany is back in the hospital. Over the weekend she went in to CHOC late at night because she was running a fever of almost 101 (remember, her body can't fight off infections, and a fever says her body has a bug - she needs to go to the hospital pronto). Her Los Angeles doctors transferred her to CHLA at 2:00 AM - she had a very long night. While at CHLA and getting antibiotics for her fever, her esophagus has gotten worse, to the point now where the doctors inserted a feeding tube through her nose.

The feeding tube is uncomfortable, but at least it gives her the nourishment and hydration she needs. She's not feeling very well, and would have liked to have been home for Thanksgiving. The doctors tell us that she may be discharged early next week.

Tough Time Swallowing

2006-11-17T15:17:00.000-08:00

Tiffany's poor throat is sensitive now, and it hurts - especially when swallowing. The radiation treatments are being aimed as precisely as possible at her tumor site, which is right next to her esophagus. The way things are laid out, I think it would be impossible to not get some radiation hitting her esophagus. The radiation is irritating the cells in the esophagus, and less mucous is being made to coat everything, so it hurts Tiffany.

Her doctors want to make sure that she's eating and drinking enough - if she can't nourish herself enough, she'll have to be fed some different way, like a feeding tube. So keep thinking good thoughts or praying for her to be strong!

P.S. No, the doctors can't change much to help Tiffany feel better about this. She needs the radiation, and they're already shooting it right where it should be. They've given her something to soothe her, but basically it's up to Tiffany to be strong for the next few weeks of radiation.

Tiffany's Home!

2006-11-13T15:47:00.000-08:00

Tiffany is back from chemotherapy! This time was tougher - she felt nauseated more. She's still doing radiation every weekday. Welcome home, Tiffany!

Chemo #5

2006-11-07T08:43:00.000-08:00

Tiffany is receiving chemotherapy again, this time in Los Angeles because she's still getting radiation there. They're skipping one of the drugs in her usual mix because it reacts badly with radiation (she would get a really bad sunburn at the radiation site). Good luck Tiffany!

Trick or Treat!

2006-11-04T16:08:00.001-08:00

Tiffany got to go trick or treating! Because her immune system is weaker, we weren't sure if she would be OK to go. The day before Halloween, her oncologist ran a blood test on her and her white blood cell count was in the 800s, and they told her she was good to go! Tiffany dressed up as a Karate expert.

SIDE NOTE: A healthy, nono-chemotherapy person would have a WBC count of between 4,500 - 10,000 - so Tiffany definitely needs to be very careful about being exposed to germs Just something to keep in mind if you plan to visit her - anyone who is sick is absolutely not allowed to be around her!

Tiffany Starts Radiation Therapy

2006-10-25T11:58:00.000-07:00

Tiffany got her first radiation treatment today. She says it doesn't hurt at all; the only hard part is holding her arms out and being as still as possible for around 10 minutes while they treat her. The therapy will be every weekday for seven weeks.

Back Home

2006-10-22T13:31:00.000-07:00

Tiffany's back home, recovering after chemotherapy!

Back for Chemo #4

2006-10-17T15:48:00.000-07:00

Tiffany's back in the hopsital for a five-day course of chemo.

Tiffany is a New Aunt / Cousin!

2006-10-17T10:40:00.000-07:00

Tiffany's cousins (us!) just had a baby! We were glad that Tiffany's fourth round of chemo was delayed a day, or she would have been in the hospital already. Instead, she was the first visitor to see little Sabrina!

Catching Up With Pictures!

2006-10-08T19:44:00.000-07:00

Tiffany and KimVy, Marissa, Tiffany, and Emily
Tiffany and Becky

Ryan Seacrest from the day he broadcast from Tiffany's hospital

Tiffany's dad and Corbin Bleu from High School Musical

Back Home Again

2006-10-02T18:02:00.000-07:00

Tiffany's back, after a shorter stay than last time! They're still monitoring her to make sure her platelet count is OK.

Tiffany is Famous

2006-10-02T15:19:00.000-07:00

Tiffany is (sort of) famous! Ryan Seacrest (American Idol, E!TV) broadcast his KIIS 102.7 radio show from Tiffany's hospital. The cast of High School Musical and The Cheetah Girls were there. She said Ryan was very nice and really, genuinely seemed to care about people there.

There's a video. Pay attention (or fast forward to) around 1:10 into the clip - they focus on Tiffany!

Back in the Hospital

2006-09-30T12:40:00.000-07:00

Tiffany had to go back in the hospital today and get a blood transfusion. Like the other time, her blood count can get extremely low due to the harsh chemotherapy. We'll let you know when she gets to come home.

Fun Gifts!

2006-09-29T21:58:00.000-07:00

Tiffany received a couple of nice gifts recently. Her cousins Jeanette and Jennifer ("The Twins" from Vegas) very generously bought her some NIKEid customized shoes. Tiffany picked out all the colors on the Nike website (nikeid.nike.com), and the heels even say "Tiffany"!

Matt's grandmother made Tiffany a Temari ball. It's a Japanese ball that historically was made for the children of royalty. Matt's grandmother isn't Japanese, but she likes to make beautiful things! And she thought Tiffany would like to have one.

Back Home Again

2006-09-23T21:56:00.000-07:00

Tiffany is back home after her third course of chemo. As before, it was five daily treatments, then one recovery day in the hospital to make sure that her body was able to safely tolerate all those harsh chemicals. She came through it OK.

Chemo Starts Again

2006-09-18T09:44:00.000-07:00

Tiffany is going in the hospital today (Monday) for chemotherapy and will be back home Saturday if things go as planned. Her doctors wanted her to start yesterday, but she asked if she could wait one day so that she could do her home-schooling today. Such a good girl!

Radiation Treatment Plan

2006-09-15T17:40:00.000-07:00

Tiffany, her mom, Aunt Ivy, and I went to CHLA today to meet with the head of the radiation oncology department (Dr. Lavey) to discuss the radiation part of Tiffany's treatment plan.

Tiffany is going to start her third chemotherapy treatment on Monday (the 18th). That means she'll be in the hospital for nearly a week, then she gets to come home and recover for three weeks (although she's been doing it in just two), then she'll do her fourth chemo. Right after that (~ two days after getting her fifth and last daily dose), she'll start going to CHLA every weekday for radiation therapy. It's outpatient (she gets to go home after each treatment), which is good, and Dr. Lavey said it will be much easier to bear than surgery or chemo. She'll go in, they'll x-ray her for 15 minutes, then she can go home, and she won't feel any different. The only thing she'll probably notice is that she'll get tan (or maybe even sunburned) at the spot where the x-rays enter her body.

Monday through Friday for seven weeks Tiffany will be going in for this. Her fifth course of chemotherapy will be given at CHLA for a change, and they'll continue to give her radiation at the same time (she'll have to stay overnight for those 6 days). She won't do her doxorubicin chemo drug, but the other three drugs will stay the same. Doxorubicin makes her photosensitive, and in combination with the radiation, she would get a very bad sunburn.

Tiffany will be spending a lot of time driving beginning in mid-October! The reason she's going all the way to CHLA is that they're the very best place to do this. Radiation is serious stuff, and CHLA has the machine with the capability (and the people with the most expertise) to deliver exactly the amount of radiation Tiffany needs at exactly the location she needs it, and we want to keep exposure to the rest of her body to a minimum.

Back to School

2006-09-13T18:04:00.000-07:00

Tiffany started seventh grade today! She's going to be home schooled for now. A teacher ("Mrs. Pam") comes Mondays and Wednesdays for two hours each day. It's all being coordinated through her normal school - she'll have the same core classes, the same books, and progress at the same pace as her schoolmates!

Happy Banh Xeo Day

2006-09-10T17:33:00.000-07:00

Aunt Ivy ("Ut" to Tiffany) cooked Banh Xeo to celebrate Tiffany's cousins Matt, Kathy, and Cindy's birthdays. Banh Xeo is a Vietnamese pancake - it's yellow batter, and inside there's shrimp, pork, and bean sprouts. Delicious!! You wrap lettuce around it, throw in some mint and basil, and dip it in Vietnamese fish sause (nuoc mam). Mmmmmm!

It is a lot of work, and Aunt Ivy sweated (that's her secret ingredient) for hours in the kitchen. The results were fantastic (nobody barfed this time!), and Tiffany enjoyed the Banh Xeo as much as any of us!

Back Home (Again)!

2006-09-03T19:01:00.000-07:00

Tiffany had her second session of chemotherapy from August 21-25, and got to come home from the hospital on Saturday the 26th. But she developed a fever the next day, which for can be very dangerous for patients with decreased immune function.

Chemotherapy can be very hard on any cell in the body. The reason chemo works against cancer is that cancer cells typically are very fast-growing cells, and they draw a lot of nutrients from the body. At the same time, they also draw a lot of the chemotherapy drugs from the bloodstream, and that's what kills the cancer cells. But the process isn't perfect, because chemo drugs end up in other parts of the body too. One of the things that can be most affected are the cells of the blood - red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. So Tiffany's doctors are always monitoring her blood count to make sure that her blood is able to function well enough to do the things it's supposed to, like for the immune system to fight infections. When a chemotherapy patient gets a fever, it can indicate that the body has an infection, and it is very hard for an immuno-suppressed body to fight an infection on its own.

When Tiffany developed a fever, her dad called the doctors and they told him to bring her in to the hospital to get antibiotics right away. She went in on Monday the 28th, and only got to come home on Saturday September 2nd. They had to give her a blood transfusion to get more healthy blood in her. Tiffany's white blood count (WBC) dropped down to 200 (a normal child ranges from 5,000 - 1o,000) They continued to monitor her, and once her WBC rose back up to 1,000 she was OK'd to come home.

So when people come to visit Tiffany, we want to make sure make sure they're not sick, because she's very succeptible to catching germs. For that same reason, we're all really careful about washing our hands, and making sure that food is handled safely. There are germs everywhere, and our healthy bodies can fight them off almost all of the time, but Tiffany's immune system is working at a fraction of its normal strength.

Haircut Day

2006-08-13T19:24:00.000-07:00

Tiffany's dad had a really good thick head of hair.
But on August 13th, he said he wanted to get his hair cut just like Tiffany's. First we used the 5/8" clippers, but that only got him to match Cousin Cassie (herself recoving from medulloblastoma - brain cancer. She had surgery February 2005 and has just finished her chemotherapy treatment. See geocities.com/cassierockswithfaith for more on Cassie).

Then Tiffany's dad decided to go all out:
Here's Tiffany with her mom.

With the ladies (from left, cousin Cassie, grandmother Ba Noi, Cassie's mom Nhung, aunt Ut, and Tiffany).

FIRST POST

2006-08-01T18:38:00.000-07:00

August 28, 2006 - We're setting up this website to help keep friends and family up to date with Tiffany's progress.

We found out something was wrong with Tiffany on June 14th, 2006 - two days before her summer break (after 6th grade) was due to start. She had been feeling pressure/ pain from breathing. Doctors saw a tumor in her chest cavity and she had surgery to remove this mass on June 20th.

Further tests revealed that she has a very rare type of cancer. Tiffany has been diagnosed with Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumor. She is currently undergoing chemotherapy - she just finished her second monthly treatment.

We intend to keep this website up to date to let those who care about her share in how she's doing. Those who know her won't be surprised to know that she's holding up remarkably well, smiling and playing as much as possible even though she must be going through a very tough time.

Face

2000-03-14T15:26:00.000-08:00

Guestbook Archive

2000-02-09T17:26:00.000-08:00

Tiffany's friends and family have been so thoughtful in writing in Tiffany's guestbook. It only holds 50 entries, and you've filled it up. Good job! Here's the archive of the first entries we had to empty out to make room for new posts.

Name : bErL!n

How Do You Know Tiffany? : bigg sister :]

Date : O1oO9oO7

Message : My dearest tiffy

Name : Jade

How Do You Know Tiffany? : 2nd Grade

Date : NOYB

Message : I LOVE TIFFANY!I LOVE TIFFANY!I LOVE TIFFANY!I LOVE TIFFANY!I LOVE TIFFANY!I LOVE TIFFANY!I LOVE TIFFANY!I LOVE TIFFANY!I LOVE TIFFANY!I LOVE TIFFANY!I LOVE TIFFANY!I LOVE TIFFANY!I LOVE TIFFANY!I LOVE TIFFANY!I LOVE TIFFANY!I LOVE TIFFANY!I LOVE TIFFANY!

Name : Berlin

How Do You Know Tiffany? :

Date : O2oO9oO7

Message : hey my dearest tiffany

Name : Spencer

How Do You Know Tiffany? : Old School Friend

Date : 2/9/07

Message : Hey! I miss being at Star View with you!!!! I think it is awesome that you stayed so positive throught this whole ordeal!! You are a great person, Tiffany!!

Name : Vivian Huynh

How Do You Know Tiffany? : friend from school

Date : 2-8-07

Message : HIIIIIIII!!!!! :) Hope you feel better!!!! Sorry that I didnt answer for a long time... Happy almost Valentine Day. We all miss u!

Name : Carly Jeavons

How Do You Know Tiffany? : Friend from skool

Date : 2-6-07

Message : Wats up Tif! Glad 2 c yur doing well. Hopfully, we will all get 2 c u at the end of the year. C u then!Carly,out!

Name : Vy Ninh

How Do You Know Tiffany? : skool and buddy

Date : 2/4/07

Message : Tiffany you will always be my buddy and keep your hope up Luv ya

Name : Tracy

How Do You Know Tiffany? : school

Date : 1.31.07

Message : TIFFANY! I HOPE YOU FEEL BETTER CUZ I MISS YOU SO MUCH!YOU ARE A FIGHTER, REMEMBER THAT!

Name : CHRiSTiNA

How Do You Know Tiffany? : cuzins fuh sho! [lol]

Date : 1.30.07

Message : HEyy GiRLL

Name : Jessica

How Do You Know Tiffany? : best friends

Date : 1/30/07

Message :

Name : Berlin

How Do You Know Tiffany? :

Date : 30JAN07

Message : heyy my little one

Name : Berlin

How Do You Know Tiffany? :

Date : 30JAN07

Message : heyy my little one

Name : Jakkee!

How Do You Know Tiffany? : Were Cousins

Date : 01/30/07

Message : Hey Tiffany! Its Tues. morning. I dont know if you are back yet from your final chemo! But I just wanted to say HELLO! and i miss you!!! See you soon!

Name : Rhonda MIsloski

How Do You Know Tiffany? : From School

Date : 1-26-07

Message : I love you Tiffany so much! I hope you get better real soon. Remember, ROCK WITH FAITH. Plus your always going to be in my prayers now.

Name : Stephanie Le

How Do You Know Tiffany? : School

Date : 1.25.07

Message : Hi Tiffany I was reading your blog and I had no idea that you had gone through so much. love you

Name : Marissa

How Do You Know Tiffany? : bff

Date : January24,2007

Message : hello!

Name : Trinh

How Do You Know Tiffany? : from dorothy

Date : 012307

Message : hey tiffany!!!I hope you getting well soon!! wells thankz for the bracelet!and yes ive been keeping you in my prayers..stay strong and brave.. Im very happy and proud of you for going thus far!!one more chemotherapy yeah!!wish the best for you! hope to se

Name : Jennie

How Do You Know Tiffany? : Friends

Date : 01.23.07

Message : i love you tiffany. get well soon. i love the bracelets. i`m always here for you.

Name : tammy

How Do You Know Tiffany? : best friend

Date : 1-22-07

Message : tiffany what ever you do girl you know youll be in my heart forever! girl BALD IS BEAUTIFUL fo sho! pshh wht the heck TIFFANY IS BEAUTIFUL! best friends fo LIFE!

Name : Sarah

How Do You Know Tiffany? : school and as buddy

Date : 1/21/07

Message : TIFFY!!~ i miss u soooo frikin much. stay strong me and evryone else will always be right here 4 u!!!!! I LUV U!!!!!! -sarah :B

Name : No name

How Do You Know Tiffany? : 3rd grade

Date : 1/20/07

Message : ALWAYS being there for me. Your my Best Friend, you know who i am ;] Aiites, get better, so i can see you soon. Love you Tiffany... x33 HAha, got cut off, it was too long :D

Name : No Name

How Do You Know Tiffany? : We met in 3rd grade :]

Date : Today is... 1/20/07

Message : Hey Tiffany! I hoped you like my present ahah, the card was a lil ugly though, and I messed up too. I cant wait til` your coming back in March! `Cuz i havent seen you in awhile. Your a great friend, and you always picked me up when I was down. Thanks for

Name : Becky Nguyen

How Do You Know Tiffany? : Ive been her best friend since 5th grade

Date : 1-20-07

Message : Hey Tiffany!!! I love you and miss you sooo much! Hope you get better. You are a great friend. I know well be Best Friends Forever!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Name : Jacqueline Pham

How Do You Know Tiffany? : A old friend

Date : 1/16/07

Message : Hi Tiffany, I hope you are doing good. :]

Name : CHRiSTiNA

How Do You Know Tiffany? : CUZiNS

Date : 1/15/0-7

Message : TiFFuNNiEE!! ahh! i love you && miss you mucho. your such a muy caliente babe. teehee. hopefully i can visit sooner or later to get the bracelet!! =]

Name : Kimmy Tran

How Do You Know Tiffany? : school

Date : jan 15 07

Message : heeey tiffany :] i misss yooh soo much i hope yooh get better so i can see yooh soon i love yooh

Name : diem

How Do You Know Tiffany? : through dorothy

Date : 1-15-07

Message : hey tif!..how are u?! i really miss seeing u..the last time i saw u was like millions of years ago..lol..hope ur doin well..keep up the hard work..i noe ull get through it cus God will be helpin u noe matter wat..i miss u so just stoppin by to show u my l

Name : Christine

How Do You Know Tiffany? : School`

Date : 1-14-07

Message : heeeey tiffany.. imm giving you a little support by signing your guestbook well anywayss , i christinedo miss you a Whole lot man i sware & hopefully you get better & ready to go to school sooo i can see your gorgeous facee (= like man what would i do wi

Name : lena pham

How Do You Know Tiffany? : im her friend

Date : 1/13/07

Message : i love tiffany to death =]

Name : Jillian

How Do You Know Tiffany? : from my dad

Date : 1/13/07

Message : heyy. i missed you a lot. well hopefully youre getting better. :] it was nice 2 talk 2 u again.

Name : jade

How Do You Know Tiffany? : friend since 2nd grade yo!

Date : 1/13/07

Message : HELLO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HELLO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HELLO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HELLO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!HELLO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HELLO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HELLO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HELLO

Name : ddeeanna

How Do You Know Tiffany? : im her coolestfriend ever!

Date : january 13 2007

Message : ILOVETIFFANYNGUYEN!

Name : CHRiSTiNA

How Do You Know Tiffany? :

Date :

Message : Sorry I kinda messed up your comments but what I basically wanted to tell you is that I LOVE&&MiSS you a lot and i hope only the BEST comes to you! even though i`m not there, my heart will always be with you. TAKE CARE BABE

Name : CHRiSTiNA

How Do You Know Tiffany? :

Date :

Message : So i think ill just send the message to you on myspace or something. =/

Name : CHRiSTiNA

How Do You Know Tiffany? :

Date : 1/12/07

Message : Ok, so i havent really figured out how this message thing works. i wrote you like a novel but it didnt post!

Name : CHRiSTiNA [continued message]

How Do You Know Tiffany? :

Date : 1/12/07

Message : HEy TiFFANY!

Name :

How Do You Know Tiffany? :

Date :

Message : HEy TiFFANY!

Name : CHRiSTiNA

How Do You Know Tiffany? :

Date : 1/12/07

Message : HEy TiFFANY!

Name : Martine

How Do You Know Tiffany? : Jakkee

Date : 1/12/07

Message : Hi Tiffany, I hope you feel better soon and then maybe one day Ill get to meet you!

Name : Anna

How Do You Know Tiffany? : Jackie Tieus cousin

Date : 01-12-07

Message : Tiffany, Ive read every single blog of yours that has been posted, and Ill be sure to keep myself updated with whatever life throws at you. You are one of the strongest girls I know, and one of the most beautiful too. I hope to meet you one day. If youd l

Name : Ashley

How Do You Know Tiffany? : Her dad is friends with my dad. :]

Date : january 12th 2007

Message : TiiFFANNYY . wasabii ? xDDD . immyyy . T.T

Name : Tammy

How Do You Know Tiffany? : we met in 6th grade

Date : 1/12/07

Message : i love you tiffany! best wishes to you. you know you will be my bestfriend FOREVER!i love you soo much!

Name : Erica

How Do You Know Tiffany? : Friends

Date : 1-11-07

Message : Hi =]

Name : Jakkee

How Do You Know Tiffany? : Were cousins

Date : 1/9/07

Message : Hey Tiffany! I hope you feel better soon. I also hope you know that we all love you very much.

Name : christine tam nguyen

How Do You Know Tiffany? : from dorothy do

Date : long time ago

Message : hi tiffany how are you doing?

Name : Nikki

How Do You Know Tiffany? : I am her cousin

Date : 1/6/07

Message : Hey Tiffany! How are you? Im fine. I hope youll get better.. LOVE YOU!

Name : Cassie Nguyen

How Do You Know Tiffany? : I am her cousin

Date : December 29, 06

Message : Hi Tiffany, I just wanted to say hi and encourage you with my love and prayers. I truly admire what obstacle course you are experiencing and I think this trial was meant for you. Your path is made for you and only you alone. Every persons path is designe

Name : Ut vo

How Do You Know Tiffany? : Favorite Aunt

Date : 12/29/06

Message : Hi Dorky, 2 more chemos to go eh!. Im so proud of you honey. Despite of whats going on, you have always kept your pretty smiles and spirit up. Can not wait to go Disneyland with you soon, Love you, PS: Cool websit eh!

Name : Matt Kathy Brigitte & Sabrina

How Do You Know Tiffany? : We are her cousins!

Date : December 16, 2006

Message : We are SO proud of you, Tiffany! You have been through a lot and continue to amaze us all with your wonderful, ever-positive attitude.

Tiffany Vista View DVD Drive

2000-02-07T23:04:00.000-08:00

Essay from Quynh - Memories of Tiffany

2000-01-23T21:44:00.000-08:00

Quynh K Le
Instructor: J.Inslee
English 100

AUTOBIOGRAPHY/REMEMBERED EVENT ESSAY

In summer 2007, my family and I went to United States for visiting. We stayed at my parent’s friend; they knew each other already 25 years ago, before uncle got into America to begin a new life. I called my parent’s friend uncle and his mother grandma. He has a daughter, but since uncle and his wife had divorced, she lived with her mom. Her name was Tiffany Nguyen. That summer was the first time I met this family even though I knew them long time ago as my dad told me. It was a really cozy summer with plenty of funs living with grandma, uncle and Tiffany.

Tiffany was a cute and courageous girl. Before I came to the States, I knew that Tiffany had got cancer in her lungs, but she won the game. She had been rescued after treatment when she was only 12 years old. At that time, she didn’t have any hair on her head and she had to suffer so much pain, but that didn’t make her hesitate to continue going to school. Instead, she was a really good student in her middle school. Tiffany always smiled, and made people feel comfortable around her. When I saw her the first time in America, I told myself that she was beautiful. Furthermore, she was very friendly to me, my sister and brothers. We spent a lot of times together because she didn’t have to go to school. In that moment, I said thank you to God for giving her to us instead of taking her away. I thought that we were lucky having her around.

This year 2008, after my summer quarter, I came back to California to join them again. Unluckily, uncle told me that Tiffany would not have times to stay alive anymore because she got cancer second time and this time, it was in her heart. Hearing that, I had been hurt so bad; I didn’t really want to believe to what uncle told me. In my mind, I always wished that there would be a magic miracle to change this truth. Everybody knew that and though the same way as mine. We decided to not tell grandma and Tiffany because we didn’t want them to suffer any pain. I didn’t know why but I felt as Tiffany was my sibling, my young sister that I really loved. I never wanted to lose her.

Three weeks staying in California, I had not really met Tiffany every day because she had to study and go to school. I only saw her within three short days of weekends. I really loved the feeling when uncle and I went to her school to pick her up every Friday. At the moment when Tiffany saw us, she always smiled a true bright smile ever. I suddenly felt that my day was refreshed and I became happier. It seems like her smile was a really good medicament for both of us. She never began to talk unless uncle asked her how her day was. She told us everything and every time that she talked about the one that she didn’t like to much, Tiffany always said “ew!!” and then made a funny face. It made uncle and me laugh. I think that until now, I still remember how it was her voice and her face those days.

Within weekends, Tiffany stayed at grandma’s house, so that I could be with her three whole days. In one Saturday, Tiffany and I didn’t go anywhere but stayed home with grandma. We always did things together and had a lot of fun. We woke up together at the morning, and then went to bathroom to brush our teeth. We went to the kitchen and the dining room to eat breakfast. It was not something special but only cereal. Because of Tiffany, I discovered that Honey Cheerios was a good sweet cereal that I liked too much. The taste was not too sweet but I could smell honey flavor in it. When we ate that with milk, the sweet of cereal and the coldness of milk combined which made the food more delicious. We both really enjoyed having that as breakfast. We liked it a lot. At that moment, the atmosphere of the small grandma kitchen suddenly became cozier with three people and their laugh.

That day, Tiffany had been waiting for Jonas Brothers on television. They had a short concert on TV, in Ellen’s program. She called her friend and they both talked about Jonas Brothers. They are her idol; Tiffany really loved them and their voice as most American teenagers did. When she talked about them, her face became brilliant and happy. Tiffany and her friend talked about everything on this earth; it took around haft hour. When Jonas Brothers appeared, Tiffany screamed very loud, as she won the first prize of lottery. She woke me and told me “Sis, it is Jonas Brothers! Jonas Brothers is perfect!” It made me fell funny and become happy as she did. Along the concert, she sang. It seems like she knew every Jonas Brothers song’s lyrics; she could sing it fluently. Tiffany had a high and pure voice. I really loved this voice. At this moment, this voice has been haunting me. I really miss that.

Next week, this was a week of MTV music award. Since my aunt organized events for the famous singers, she could take me together with her to the concert and the party after that. It was a unique chance that I ever had in my life. I could say that the ticket was not easy to buy, even for a VIP place like that. I really wanted to go, but something in bottom of my heart hindered me to accept the invitation. I denied it and chose to stay home with Tiffany and grandma. When I told her that I would not go to the MTV music award, Tiffany told that I was crazy and stupid. She really wanted to go there but she could not, whereas I had the chance but I did not take it. I was not angry because she told me that. In my mind, I knew that I would not have more chance to see her in the future, and it was more valuable for me to spend time with her than going to the concert. At this moment, I recognized that she was very important to me.

That day, uncle was not home because he has to go somewhere to see his friend. They both had to discuss about their business. Tiffany and I stayed home again with grandma. I went to internet to download music; most of it was the top hits that time. I did not understand why Tiffany could know every songs even its lyrics. Each time I played one song, she sang it. It really surprised and interested me. I decided to find the lyrics because I wanted to sing with her. We turned the volume maximum; it was at noon so it would not disturb anybody around. We sang together: Lucky and I’m yours of Jason Mraz, I kissed a girl of Katy Perry, Love bug of Jonas Brothers, etc. Songs after songs, I felt that I had a lot of energy to sing ever. That was the first time I sang as much as this, but it didn’t make me tired. I really enjoyed it. I could say that it was the most valuable memory for me. I wanted to record a video at this time but I didn’t have any camera. The joy and happiness of being together with Tiffany gave me a power to sing, even to continue this life.

The day before I came back to Seattle to continue my fall quarter, Tiffany and I chose to take photo stickers because I wanted to have something to keep as a souvenir. Photo stickers were the little pictures that we took in a machine and we could draw on that. We had a lot of fun taking picture like that. It was not too much time to prepare for each time that changed background. We laughed a lot and our face became red because it was too hot over there. However, pictures with “I Love you, Tiffany” or “Forever” became something special for me and Tiffany. I kept it very careful because it was the only one souvenir that I had with her.

Finally, I came back to Seattle and leaved Tiffany behind in California. It was a sad day because I didn’t be sure if I could see her again in the future. Two weeks later, uncle called me and told me that Tiffany had to stay in the hospital. The problem became graver and doctors said that it would be no chance for her to stay. Tiffany would have only one month to be alive. In that moment, what I didn’t hope that happen happened. I cried a lot and felt guilty. I decided to flight back there within weekends to see her. Being there, seeing her suffering too much pains made me hurt. I wanted to cry but I did not. I talked to her as there was nothing happened. She always smiled with me and I knew that she was happy because I came here to see her. It seems like her pain became the pain of everybody. At this moment, I hugged her and didn’t want to release. In my mind, I thought that releasing her now meant that I could lose forever. What had to come came; she was gone at December 08, 2008, two weeks later.

"Tiffany's Dream" - Bringing Smiles to Children with Cancer

2000-01-01T22:27:00.000-08:00

PURPOSE: In memory and honor of our beautiful and beloved 14-year old niece/cousin Tiffany Nguyen, we, Tiffany family and friends, would like to invite you joining us open your heart to bring love and smiles to children with cancer. If each person could help bring just one DVD to pediatric cancer patients, Tiffany’s dream of helping those undergoing the same struggles she went through will be realized.

GOAL: Our goal is to supply as many DVD movies as possible to the Oncology/ Hematology department at Children’s Hospital of Orange County (CHOC). They are in the process of switching all VHS players to DVD players and are in need of DVD movies.

All movies, new or used, any types, are appreciated. They must be rated G, PG or PG-13. The latest Disney movies are always popular!

ACTION: We invite you to join us:
Send new / used DVD movie(s) directly to CHOC:

CHOC Child Life Support Dept.
455 S. Main St.
Orange, CA 92868
Attn: Brianne Ortiz / Tiffany’s Dream

Send your check of $10, $20, or any amount you wish to the above address, made payable to: CHOC Child Life Support Dept.

Please include a note indicating this is for Tiffany’s Dream. Brianne at CHOC 714-532-8473 will help us to keep track and report our accomplishments including the names of all contributors.

Even one DVD from you will help bring smiles to many cancer patients. Hopefully we can help them escape from feelings of pain, fear, loneliness, and angriness, and instead focus on something fun and entertaining.

BACKGROUND: Tiffany, a granddaughter/ daughter/ niece/ cousin/ aunt, passed away peacefully on 12/05/08 in Children’s Hospital of Orange County. She had battled an incurable and very rare type of sarcoma cancer, Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumor, since her diagnosis in June 2006. She went through a major surgery, 8-month chemo, 4-month radiation, many emergency visits to the hospital due to medical side effects, then, with nowhere else to turn, started a first cycle of a clinical drug trial prior to her death.

While taking turns helping Tiffany’s parents to care for her in the hospital, we noticed that Tiffany often looked at the TV when she’s awake, but there was not much for her to watch that was interesting. We would have loved to divert her attention from pain to entertainment, even for a short time.

There were no new VHS movies available. We sadly met many other cancer children who were also suffering from excruciating pain and loneliness.

Three days after Tiffany’s passing, we (her dad, aunts, and 3 cousins) returned to CHOC to visit her 8-year-old friend, who severely suffers from leukemia that has spread to her bones. Her friend is in pain and very lonely because most of the time she only has her mom with her. Her dad has to stay home taking care of her siblings. We brought her favorite movie “High School Musical” and decorated her room with some of Tiffany’s toys. Her mom said we made her day. Watching her happiness and beautiful smile through her pain awakened us all, we felt that we had at times taken life for granted, and we felt the need to do something, even a small thing, to help bring joy and erase physical and mental pain even for a few minutes or hours. We called for a short family discussion of how we can help. We unanimously voted for buying some meaningful gifts for these cancer kids instead of buying Christmas gifts for each other.

TIFFANY’S DREAM:

Tiffany always had a special relationship with children. She was very patient and caring with her younger cousins and children of all ages. She could feel when they were happy or sad, and always had a special way of helping them feel better. On Christmas day of 2007, Tiffany and her cousin brought presents for the cancer children in CHOC. While in the hospital and during recovery, Tiffany often visited and shared her teddy bears and balloons with other younger patients, wanting to help ease their loneliness.
The generosity from Make-a-Wish Foundation, Ronald McDonald camp and her child life support during her illness had deeply touched Tiffany’s beautiful heart and influenced her future plan: working at Jamba Juice at 15, learning how to drive and having a boyfriend at 16 (if dad permitted), volunteering as counselor at Ronald McDonald camp at 19, and working part time as child life support in a child oncology ward while attending college to become a kindergarten teacher. But her beautiful dream was cut devastatingly short.

We want to continue Tiffany’s dream by making a positive impact on children and helping them to be happy and enjoy their lives to the fullest as we know Tiffany would want.

IN CONCLUSION:

We would like to carry on Tiffany’s dream of bringing smiles to children with cancer.
Please spread the word among your family and friends to keep this 14-year old girl’s beautiful dream alive and benefit other unfortunate pediatric cancer patients.
We will start with CHOC where Tiffany had received her cancer care from all of her wonderful caregivers who had been patiently and gently caring for her with all their hearts from the day she was admitted until her last breath.
Your caring hearts and contributions will help make Tiffany’s dream come true!