She often bragged to her brother that she let her Mommy sleep in on her actual “birth” day while he did not. William came into the world at 12:31am.
Addison was a very calm baby. She started smiling at only a few days old. As she looked up at the sky, she would smile and babble and giggle, almost as if she was having a conversation with someone. Her mommy and daddy always commented that Addi was “talking to her angels” again.
Addison adored her big brother William. Will and Addi are 14 months apart. Early on, most people thought they were twins. When Addi came into the world, William wasn’t even walking yet. At first he didn’t know what to make of “his new baby,” but eventually enjoyed helping Mom take care of her and making her giggle…. She really did smile so easy… all the time.
From a very early age, Mom and Dad introduced the kids to “the magic of Disney” and everything Florida had to offer. Mom realized it was sometimes easier to put them both in a stroller and walk them to sleep around the parks then to be stuck at home. The activity at the parks pacified them- while mom got a break.
Dad loved showing the kids around his “work” and practicing his silly voices on them. He could make them laugh and laugh and laugh.
He is the best dad in the world, hands down.
Mom knew that she was so lucky to stay at home with her babies. She joined some MOPS groups and kid clubs. The kids made some good friends in the neighborhood. They often traveled to visit family and had family and friends come and visit them in Orlando. The kids quickly became pint sized tour guides and loved showing everyone around.
Addison loved going on It’s a Small World and the Carousel over and over. William loved going on the Monorail and the Speedway.
Life was so good. Life was so amazing.
Mom eventually got up the nerve to put Addison in a two morning a week program for 3 year olds while William was in preschool… just to have some time to grocery shop solo.
…and then the unthinkable happened.
Addison had a lingering cough that wasn’t going away.
After multiple pediatrician visits, nebulizing treatments and antibiotics, she was eventually sent to the ER.
Addison was diagnosed with Stage IV Embryonal Rhabdomyosarcoma, a very rare cancer, on what was to be her 2nd day of school.
Addi initially endured over a year and a half of treatment- that included high dose chemo, multiple surgeries, radiation and over 100 nights in the hospital with Mom.
This all happened while William attended preschool. This quickly became the “new normal” for the Sinclair Family.
Dad promised to make this horrendous journey as much fun as possible, and he absolutely kept his promise.
As a result of the diagnosis, and the poor prognosis, the family quickly learned to appreciate every moment.
Although there were bad days- the good days overshadowed them by a long shot.
In the next 5 years, Addison’s cancer recurred an unbelievable 9 times.
While trying to balance appointments, medical decisions, harsh treatments and quality of life, the family went on 6 cruises, took several beach vacations (Addi loved the sand), took more than 10 Disney staycations, had too many theme park visits to count, and vacationed to California, New York, South Carolina, Georgia, and Ohio.
Addison was fortunate to attend school part time for a few years. She adored her teacher. She only attended it for 3 hours a day, but when she came home she would tell Mom and Dad every detail of the day with so much excitement. She was a quick learner and she absolutely loved school. She was a social butterfly. Addison was lucky to make several good friends. This past year she was proud to become a Daisy Girl Scout. She was so thrilled about her badges and winning the top Cookie Sales award.
Addison was very artistic. She loved all musicals. She loved singing and dancing. She took a dance class. She got to perform in a recital. This past July she became obsessed with Hamilton. Even though it wasn’t the most age appropriate musical- she could recite every word- and she did...all the time. She started watching art videos and taught herself how to draw characters. She loved arts and crafts. She loved making slime. She enjoyed making jewelry. Addison loved creating stories. She loved playing with dolls. Addison had a large collection of princess dresses. She would play dress up often. She also had a fascination with puppeteering. She had a puppet named Petunia and would put on shows with her often. She asked for a camera for Christmas and wanted to start photography.
After several canceled contracts, Mom and Dad decided to build a pool in their backyard- so the kids could enjoy it. It was their best decision ever. Many, many hours were spent on the back patio and in the pool these past 3 years. So many amazing memories with family and friends were made. These past months during quarantine, as the world was shut down, Addison learned how to swim and became a little fish. This Christmas Addison asked Santa for a Mermaid Tail.
Addi was an animal lover. She started horseback riding lessons this past Spring. She especially loved baby animals. She loved Youtube videos that featured baby animals. She and Will have 2 puppies, Brady and McKenzie, and this past Christmas Addi received a new teacup puppy that she lovingly named Lil Angel. She had a recent fascination with dolphins. She enjoyed researching them, and especially enjoyed seeing them at nearby aquariums.
William has become quite the athlete these past years and Addison would attend games when she could and cheer him on. Her favorite thing about the Little League games was always the concession stands.
Up until 2 months ago, Addison never took a nap. She outlasted her Mom, Dad and brother every day. She rarely sat down. She bounced through the house with energy, as all 8 year olds should.
Not everyone saw it, but Addi could be quite the comedian. Like every kid, she went through a “joke telling” phase. Unlike a lot of kids her age, she had a love for Saturday Night Live skits in her recent days. I wonder where she got that trait from?
Addi loved buying gifts for others and was amazingly caring and thoughtful. She had the biggest heart. She loved asking others how they were and always listened intently to every word they had to say. She had the most amazing memory. Even when Addison wasn't feeling well in her final days she was polite and always used her manners.
Addison passed away peacefully in her home on December 29th, 2020 after her 9th cancer recurrence. She was surrounded by her Mommy, Daddy, her Brother, her puppies and her beloved Dollbaby.
“Your life is made of two dates and a dash- so make the most of that dash.”
Although Addison’s life was tragically cut short, her dash was full of many amazing people, experiences and memories. Addi endured her 6 year cancer battle while singing, dancing and laughing and with a huge smile on her face.
We love you to the moon and back Doodlebug and will miss you more than you know... we will see you in the morning- Love, Mom, Dad and William
We thank you all for being a part of Addison’s journey. In lieu of flowers please consider a donation to Cannonball Kids Cancer
https://cannonballkidscancer.org/
They are focusing on less harsh treatments for pediatric cancer. Research is desperately needed.
Cannonball Kids' Cancer – Research is the key
SHARE OBITUARY
v.1.8.18