Mother asks neighbors to send letters for daughter suffering from intracranial hypertension

BIG SPRING, Texas (Big 2/Fox 24) – A Texas mother is calling on her neighbors to help make her daughter, Savannah, smile again.

Mother, Candice Smalling, says the famous “Savannah smile and giggle” have been missing since March.

“Everybody loves Savannah, and everybody knows her by her smile,” said Smalling. “It was so hard to see her in pain, and she just says, ‘Momma, it hurts’ and she cries. I just sit there holding her for hours.”

Savannah was diagnosed with intracranial hypertension back in June following numerous doctor’s visits due to worsening migraines. She has had two brain surgeries, multiple lumbar punctures, and now, complications with her lung and heart. Smalling says “difficult” is an understatement.

“So between not being able to be around people and being sad from that and being in constant pain, there’s a big part of Savannah that’s missing right now.”

It was not until one afternoon, when the secret to finding Savannah’s joy again came in an envelope.

“She got something in the mail. It was a bill from the doctor, and it had her name on it,” explained Smalling. “She went and got the mail, and she was just over the moon that there was something in the mailbox with her name on it. I realized, ‘Oh that brought back that the Savannah smile and the giggle.'”

The family decided to reach out to their neighbors for a letter to brighten Savannah’s tough days.

“So at first, I didn’t want to ask for that, because it was almost selfish. ‘Everybody is going through so much, but give to my daughter.’ But then I realized, maybe just drawing a picture might make somebody else’s kid happy too… Just draw it for Savannah.”

You can keep up with Savannah’s story here. If you would like to send a letter to Savannah, you can mail it to the address below:

Savannah Smalling
2509 Hunter Dr.
Big Spring, TX 79720