No one will forget 'Sweet Meg'

Standing at the fountain in Duke Hospital's lobby, Jim and Terri Wasley emptied the change from their pockets, adding heartfelt wishes to the prayers they'd already offered up for the previous four days.

But next to them, the subject of their petitions held onto the coin her father had given her.

"I already have everything I want," Meg Wasley, 7, explained.

Those who knew Meg say she greeted each day with joy and optimism, and that the diagnosis of a malignant brain tumor in February 2010 didn't do much to change that. Even as the people around her struggled with a grim prognosis and the toll the disease and its treatment took on her, Meg kept her upbeat and gracious attitude.

Stopping for one of Meg's favorite chocolate milkshakes after treatment one day, Jim Wasley felt her nudge his elbow. She had pulled $5 from her sequined purse because she wanted to treat him.

And when big brother Jake walked Meg to her classroom at Holly Grove Elementary School each day, Jake would bend over so she could kiss him on the cheek before heading on his way - no small concession for a fifth-grade boy, and a reflection of their relationship.

"What a lot of people called her was 'Sweet Meg.' That just exemplified her entire life," said Denelle Manley, a family friend. "It's beyond me how she [continued] with a smile on her face. We were all horribly upset, and she just got through it."

Meg died in January, 11 months after being diagnosed with diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma. She lived long enough to learn that her mother was pregnant with a much-longed-for sister, and to name her. Isabella is due in July.

The 'Glitter Girl'

Born in Raleigh and raised in Holly Springs, Margaret Grace Wasley was an athlete who played basketball, lacrosse, soccer and softball, a budding fashionista who loved to shop at Justice - a girls clothing store - and a caring friend and classmate.

"She'd play soccer, but then she would come home, put on her glitter clothes and go dancing with her daddy," Terri Wasley said.

Although she completed only part of her third-grade year at Holly Grove, she made quite an impression.

"The big thing was what she was going to be wearing," said Kristi Gutshall, a teacher and family friend. "We called her 'Glitter Girl.'"

A skirt made of sequins and a multicolored scarf patterned with peace signs were part of her signature look, but her personality stood out, too.

Once when her nose began bleeding during carpool time, Meg matter-of-factly, and without complaint or self-pity, explained to the staff tending her, "I have a brain tumor and I getbloody noses."

"You can't say enough about her," Gutshall said. "She's just one of those kids who'll be with you forever."

In winter 2009-2010, Meg's parents realized that her hand-eye coordination was a little off and that she wasn't playing sports as aggressively. She seemed off-balance and fell occasionally. A couple of her teachers also had noticed, and a trip to the pediatrician became a trip for an MRI and a trip to Duke by ambulance.

When her parents were escorted into a room with a specialist, Jim Wasley suspected what was to come.

"I looked behind us, and I saw a lady carrying a box of tissues, and I knew it was going to be bad. And it was," he recalled. "We went from thinking it was an inner ear infection to them telling us Meg had probably a year to live."

Radiation could shrink the tumor and help restore some of the abilities that were failing, and there were clinical studies to consider, but the family also kept focus on being sure Meg collected asmany memories as possible.

A strong spirit

Neighbors, friends, family and colleagues rallied around the Wasleys, helping with everything from meals to medical expenses. Meg was adopted by the Duke women's lacrosse team and enjoyed special times with them. She had a chance through the Make-A-Wish Foundation to have a makeover and to take part in a fashion show on the television program "Kimora: Life in the Fab Lane." Meg continued to pursue her love of drawing and art. And at her request, the family rented an RV and drove to upstate New York to visit her parents' hometowns.

It was during that trip last fall that Meg began to show symptoms of the tumor's progression. One side of her smile began to droop, she had increasing difficulty walking and then swallowing. Additional treatment didn't yield results, but Meg's spirit remained strong.

"Even towards the end, when these terrible things were happening to her, she would still draw about peace, love and happiness," Terri Wasley said.