Greg and Tracey Lawson did not realize at the time, but on Feb. 12, 2008 at about 4 a.m., they experienced a miracle. Their 7-year-old daughter, Hannah, was awakened by her puppy dog, Frenchy. She carried the puppy to her parents' room and explained that Frenchy kept pawing at her pillow. They kept Frenchy with them and sent Hannah back to bed. Within 30 minutes, Hannah came back to their room. She was nauseated and disoriented. She began vomiting and very quickly became unresponsive. They rushed her to the emergency room where she was immediately admitted and by that time was showing signs of seizures. The ER doctor ordered a CT scan. After the CT scan, both Greg and Tracey made the difficult calls to their parents. Both of their families lived close by and immediately left for the hospital.

About 45 minutes after the CT scan, the ER doctor informed them Hannah had a brain tumor and it looked malignant. The news was devastating. For any parent, this would be the kind of news that would bring you to your knees, you can't breathe, you can't speak and a single thought races thru your mind..."Am I going to lose my child?"  The ER doctor took immediate action. She started Hannah on steroids to control the swelling in her brain and anti seizure medication to stop the seizures. She called in one of the top pediatric neurosurgeons. She called in the chaplain.

Tracey's parents were the first to arrive and found their daughter lying over Hannah, sobbing uncontrollably. Tracey's mother immediately asked, "What is it?" "It's a brain tumor and they think it's malignant." The word malignant broke her and she doubled over again feeling as if she couldn't breathe. The chaplain walked in at that moment and asked if he could pray with them. That prayer gave them hope and they desperately needed hope.

Hannah was transferred from the ER to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, where she slept most of the day. On Thursday, Feb. 14, 2008, at 9 a.m., Hannah underwent surgery to remove the tumor. Sometime after 1:30 p.m., the neurosurgeon met with Hannah's parents and informed them the tumor was the size of an orange. It was mostly encapsulated fluid, which made it easy to drain. A small portion of the tumor was moss-like, making it difficult to completely remove. It was highly cellular, with some necrosis, indicating it may have been growing quickly and was likely malignant. The local pathologist was not able to pinpoint which type of cancer it was, so the tumor samples were sent to a laboratory in Rochester, N.Y.

Hannah woke up from the surgery with a severe headache, but she was able to talk and move her hands and feet. Her recovery continued to go very well. So well in fact she was released from the hospital on Feb. 18, 2008. She returned a few days later to her neurosurgeon so that her stitches, all 20 of them, could be removed. During the visit, Hannah's parents were informed that the pathologist from Rochester had identified the tumor as an anaplastic ependymoma, stage 3. This is a rare and aggressive form of brain cancer, with only about 200 people in the United States diagnosed annually.

They immediately met with the head of oncology at the hospital. The local pathologist was not convinced of the diagnosis, so they agreed to send the tumor samples to Saint Jude Children's Hospital for analysis. St. Jude's confirmed the diagnosis the following week and recommended radiation therapy. They even offered to take Hannah's case, but since the recommended treatment was a standard protocol, a local cancer center was able to provide her treatment.

During one of Hannah's hospital admissions, she pulled her mother aside and told her that she shouldn't have any more visitors. Her mom, Tracey, told her that it was OK, they were using hand sanitizer and that she would not catch anything. But Hannah, thinking only of others, said, "Yes, but what if they catch what I have?" Hannah's compassion did not stop there. You see, Hannah always prayed for the soldiers stationed abroad. She kept a list and checked them off as she prayed for them; she didn't want to leave anyone out.

Touched by her gesture, a family member had Hannah placed on the soldiers' prayer list. She was now being prayed for worldwide. Hannah was humbled that these busy soldiers would not only take time to pray for her, but they e-mailed her as well.  Upon returning home from the hospital she had an e-mail inbox full of messages from U.S. soldiers! Within each e-mail the question was asked, "Hannah, how can we help you in your battle with cancer?" Hannah's only response, "How can I help you?" Finally, one soldier suggested that she send school supplies to those stationed abroad. The soldiers then could distribute the supplies to the children in the area.

It was just the inspiration Hannah needed. What started out, as a simple prayer list soon became a club, affectionately called "Army Angels." CW4 Creech once told Hannah via satellite link, courtesy of WBIR 10 NEWS, that she had taken the lemons life had handed her and made lemonade. Hannah's lemonade stand was just getting started. Hannah called everyone she knew and asked them to be in her club. Before she knew it, people from all over the United States were sending supplies and postage money for her Army Angels. She has even designed a logo, a camouflage-clad angel with the slogan "Save people in need."

Through out her many treatments and hospital visits, Hannah has met many people and even went so far as to tell her mother, "Mommy, I'm glad I have cancer." Her mother immediately asked her why. Hannah's reply, "If I didn't have cancer, I wouldn't have been able to meet all of these people." Her mom hugged her and told her how proud she was of her and her wonderful attitude. Hannah's wish to "give something back" has touched many people, so much so, that one group of soldiers decided to adopt her as their pen-pal.

The Tennessee Army National Guard's Detachment 1, Company C, 2-104 Aviation Company, nicknamed "Southern Comfort," had no idea when deployed to Kosovo last year, that thousands of miles away an 8-year-old little girl would become one of their greatest inspirations. They began to send her e-mails on a regular basis and she became close to this group of warriors. Chief Warrant Officer 4 David Creech bought her a teddy bear in Kosovo and named him So-Co, short for Southern Comfort. So-Co became well traveled and accompanied the unit on missions. They took photos of him and sent them to Hannah. Creech even sent her a flight suit in her size adorned with Southern Comfort.

When the unit of soldiers returned home in July 2008, to be reunited with family and friends, Hannah was not forgotten. On July 19, 2008, she was able to welcome "her soldiers" home. Only four men from their unit were able to come, as all the others were scattered about and unreachable, CW4 Kevin Hill, CW2 Tim Belcher, SGT Marshall Dutton and CW4 David Creech. Each of these men gave up precious time with their families, but not a one of them would have missed it for the world.

As the Blackhawk helicopter set down at McGhee Tyson airport that day, Creech and his buddies expected 20-30 people to be with Hannah. What they didn't expect was a crowd of more than 100 people, waving their arms, banners, and flags. Unable to suppress the lump in his throat, Creech realized, this was a welcome home for them! Holding tight to So-Co, Creech searched the crowd for Hannah. Standing out in front, in her flight suit and boonie hat, stood Hannah. She ran from the crowd and Creech knelt down to capture the lightning bolt that had changed his entire unit. After many hugs, he presented her with So-Co and an American flag that flew in Afghanistan, to honor her. As both CW4 Creech and Hannah walked toward the crowd it began to part and right in the middle of them.... Hannah's Lemonade Stand, where Creech and his pals had the best lemonade EVER!!! He would later say, "It was a moment I will never forget."

Hannah's endless spirit and positive attitude have reached far and wide, touching many lives. From the radiation staff at Thompson Cancer Center, where she got her doctor to smile 17 times, a record according to the nurses, to the Senate. On March 19, 2009, Hannah and her parents stood before the Senate while a resolution honoring Hannah was read. She was commended for her "patriotism and compassion for our military service men" as well as "her amazing personal strength and courage in her fight with cancer." Sen. Randy McNally told Hannah, "You brighten our lives and cause us to reexamine how we live those lives. We deeply appreciate you, your family and the soldiers you serve." That day, 8-year-old Hannah Lawson received a standing ovation from the Senate. When asked if she had anything to say, all she could say was, "Thank you!"

As an added surprise, Hannah was reunited with CW4 Creech that day and was coined. According to Hannah, "They give you that in the Army if you've done something really good." This was Hannah's second coin. She also toured the State Capitol where she not only questioned Sen. McNally, but she sat in the chair of Sen. Tim Burchett. She wrapped up her visit with the governor and presented him with a 9 Factor bracelet. The number 9 represents the number of children diagnosed with a brain tumor each day. Factor is the effort to battle the disease. Hannah sells these bracelets for $2 each with funds going to the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation.

Hannah's mom started this story by saying they experienced a miracle. In reality, she feels they have experienced many miracles. First, Hannah survived the initial onset of symptoms. If her puppy had not awakened her, she could have died in her sleep or suffered irreparable brain damage. She prayed every night for over nine months, asking God to convince her mommy and daddy to let her have a puppy. God convinced us and that puppy saved her life. Second, God gave us the strength to survive the initial diagnosis, the treatment process and the subsequent MRI'S plus He sent us an army of supporters. Last but not least, God gave Hannah the ability to think of others while she was suffering. Her parents choose not to look at the statistics surrounding her diagnosis, there's a 40 percent chance that the tumor will return, and instead they focus on Hannah, of how God is taking care of her because He has a plan for her.

Today, Hannah continues her treatments, her many trips to the doctors, her diagnosis of radiation necrosis and her Army Angels. She has shipped over 100 boxes of supplies to the U.S. soldiers in Iraq, Kosovo and Afghanistan. She has accomplished in a year what most people never achieve in a lifetime. This amazing little girl, who has touched so many lives, allows God to shine thru all that she does and all that she gives. Instead of asking for a pity party, she simply stands there, quietly smiling, holding a glass of lemonade.

Legend tells us that if a ladybug lands on you, your wish will come true. They are also a symbol of protection and an emblem of luck. If that is so, then Hannah has not only had one ladybug land on her, she has her very own army of them. Each day they help her accomplish her "wish," to give something back. As for protection and luck, well that goes without saying. God gave us those ladybugs... it's all apart of His protection plan. So the next time you see Hannah standing quietly, smiling glass of lemonade in hand, know that somewhere on her there is a ladybug, helping her to achieve her ultimate "wish"...for a cure.