From the moment Lily Strang was born, she has been fighting a battle.

From the moment Lily Strang was born, she has been fighting a battle. It’s a battle that would make grown men tremble, but has shone a light on the remarkable courage and determination of a 6-year-old from Sturgis.
Lily’s battle is with Fanconi Anemia, a genetic disease that is noted for a defect in a cluster of proteins that are responsible for DNA repair. Only 1 in 130,000 people are born with FA. The disease caused Lily to be born undersized and without thumbs. It can also lead to bone marrow failure and leukemia quite commonly.
When it was discovered that Lily was headed toward bone marrow failure and developed early stage leukemia it was decided that she would need to undergo a bone marrow transplant. She and her mother, Erin Furr, would head to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital for the transplant and spent the next five months there.
In February, the pair returned to Sturgis after a successful transplant, which got rid of her leukemia cells and all abnormal cells present in her  bone marrow. They were greeted with open arms by the community, as they were escorted by police and fire department vehicles past a line of people showing their support.
With their return to Sturgis complete, Furr said Lily is doing well despite having a long road of challenges still ahead of her.
“She seems to be thriving at home. Having siblings to play with definitely helps her be a kid again,” Furr said.
Precautions with Lily’s weakened immune system had to be taken however and she is under restrictions in terms of her contact with germ carriers. Furr said that it’s worth it though, being back home and somewhat isolated as long as they get to be with their family.
Lily gets to venture outside for an hour at a time after 4 p.m. That is due to the dangers that sun exposure poses to her weakened condition. She wears a surgical mask to prevent inhaling mold and fungus spores, but that doesn’t prevent her from enjoying the fresh air.
As much as the trips outside help Lily’s moral, Furr said that she still misses school and her classmates. In February, Lily’s principal arranged a video call Lily through Skype and walked her around the school just to say hello to everyone. Furr said that it was an amazing experience for Lily and that the community support has continued to be tremendous.
“I’ve never seen anything like it,” Furr said. “It’s like one of those Lifetime movies where the town rallies around a little girl battling an illness ... and it’s really happened here. She doesn’t quite grasp the concept of how many people follow her and support her, but what she does understand makes her proud and helps her get through knowing that so many people are cheering her on and love her.”
Lily will get to return a little bit of love to the Ronald McDonald House of Cincinnati as donations for the charity will be collected around Sturgis until the end of April. They’re collecting batteries, unopened toys, puzzles, board games, DVDs, Wii or Xbox 360 games and canned food for the charity.
Ronald McDonald House frequently visited Lily’s hospital to make snacks and meals for the families staying there and had lots of activities for the kids to entertain themselves with.
“These things all help to give a little bit of a positive spin on a really hard time for kids and parents at the House. Please consider donating. Any small amount helps,” Furr said.
Drop off locations for donations can be found at Trio’s Deli, Panache the Salon and Blue Ray Beach.
For now, Lily remains somewhat isolated in her home as her immune system continues to get better. She still faces all the threats and problems that her disease creates, but recovering from the transplant is just one more step in her long journey.
“She will face many challenges medically still from the Fanconi Anemia, but this hurdle that she’s jumped over is a huge one and will change her life so much,” Furr said.
Despite everything that she’s been through, she still hopes to attend school next fall.

Follow Justin Wright on Twitter, @jwrightSJ.