When you meet Penny, you’d never guess how much she’s been through.
She’s two years old, full of sass and sparkle — painting her nails, twirling in dresses, and laughing louder than anyone in the room.

But just a year ago, her parents were praying for a miracle.
At six months old, Penny was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor.
Thirty-four rounds of chemotherapy followed — endless nights, quiet tears, and a mother’s whispered prayers beside her crib.

Then came the turning point.
A surgeon reviewed her scans and said five words that changed everything:
“I think I can help.”

The operation was long and risky — but when it was over, the tumor was gone.
Completely.

No more chemo. No more radiation.
Just life.
Beautiful, ordinary, miraculous life.

Today, Penny is healthy, happy, and thriving — proof that faith, courage, and love can turn the impossible into possible.
👉 Full story in the comment

Lucky Penny — The Miracle That Shines at Three

💖 Lucky Penny — The Little Girl Who Got Her Life Back 💖

When you meet Penny Hauenstein, it’s impossible not to smile.
She’s just two years and seven months old

, but her spirit feels far older — confident, funny, full of sass and sparkle.

 

She loves painting her tiny nails in bright colors.
She loves carrying her little purse like it’s filled with secrets.


She loves her parents, her big brother Finn, her two dogs Levi and Shae, and her cat Rex, who patiently puts up with all her toddler hugs.

To anyone looking at her now, Penny is just a happy little girl living her best life.
But only a year ago, the picture looked heartbreakingly different.

💔 A Diagnosis No Parent Is Ready For

When Penny was six months old, her parents — Melanie and Rudy Hauenstein — started noticing something unusual.
Their baby girl wasn’t quite herself. Her movements seemed slower. Her balance off. Her eyes didn’t focus the same way.

At first, they thought it might just be normal baby development — maybe she was teething, maybe tired.
But something deep inside Melanie whispered that it was more.

Then came the tests.


The scans.
The waiting.

And finally, the words that shattered their world:

“Your daughter has a brain tumor.”

Worse still — it was inoperable.

The tumor was located deep in Penny’s brain, too close to critical structures for any surgeon to safely remove.


Doctors explained that surgery wasn’t an option. The only hope was chemotherapy — not to cure, but to control.

It was May 2023. Penny was six months old.
Melanie remembers holding her baby and whispering through tears:

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“We’re going to fight, baby girl. We’re going to fight.”

💉 The Fight Begins

Chemo started right away.

For a baby barely half a year old, it was an unimaginable ordeal.


Thirty-four rounds of chemotherapy — harsh drugs that no child should have to endure.

A port was surgically placed under her tiny skin.
Her hands and feet began to show signs of

neuropathy, a painful side effect that made her cry when touched.
There were nights when Melanie didn’t sleep at all, sitting by the crib, listening to the steady beep of machines and praying for a miracle.

“It was the hardest time of our lives,” Melanie says. “Every day felt like a battle between hope and heartbreak.”

By early 2024, after nearly a year of treatment, Penny’s parents were running out of options — and strength.

🙏 Searching for a Miracle

When medicine could only go so far, faith became their anchor.
Melanie began reaching out — searching for stories, advice, anything that could lead them to help.

“I joined a Facebook group,” she recalls. “And someone mentioned Dr. Paul Klimo, the head of pediatric neurosurgery at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.”

At first, she hesitated. They’d been told by multiple doctors that the tumor was inoperable. Why would this one be any different?


But something — maybe faith, maybe mother’s instinct — told her to try.

And so, she sent an email.

Within weeks, they had an appointment.

🌈 The News That Changed Everything

When Dr. Klimo reviewed Penny’s scans, he looked up at Melanie and Rudy and said something they hadn’t heard in almost a year:

“I think I can help.”

Those five words were enough to bring them both to tears.

After months of fear and exhaustion, there was finally a sliver of light.

Dr. Klimo believed the tumor could be removed safely.
It would be a high-risk surgery — delicate, complex, and long — but possible.

And for the Hauenstein family, possible was enough.

✨ The Surgery That Saved Her

In May 2024, just one year after her diagnosis, Penny — at only 18 months old — underwent brain surgery at St. Jude’s.

For hours, her parents waited in the sterile waiting room, clutching each other’s hands, whispering prayers with every passing minute.

Finally, the doors opened.
The surgeon stepped out.
And with a tired but relieved smile, he said:

“We got it. The entire tumor is gone.”

Melanie remembers collapsing into tears — tears of joy, of disbelief, of gratitude too big to put into words.

After the surgery, something miraculous happened: Penny didn’t need any more chemo. No radiation. No further treatments.

The scans came back clear.
Her body began to heal.
Her smile — the one that had been dulled by pain and fatigue — returned brighter than ever.

💕 A Life Filled with Light

Today, Penny is home, thriving, and full of energy.
She’s a walking, giggling, dancing ball of sunshine.

Her doctors still monitor her closely, but every appointment has brought good news. Her brain is clear. Her growth is normal. Her laughter is loud.

“Every time I watch her play with her brother or paint her nails, I remember those long hospital nights,” Melanie says softly.

“And I just thank God we got to keep her.”

Now, Penny spends her days chasing her dogs, twirling in princess dresses, and bossing around her big brother Finn — who lovingly calls her “the tiny queen.”

She’ll turn three this November, and her parents are already planning a big celebration — not just for another birthday, but for another year of miracles.

🌷 Lucky Penny

They call her “Lucky Penny.”
But those who know her story say it’s more than luck.

It’s faith.
It’s love.
It’s perseverance.
And maybe, a little bit of divine grace.

The little girl once given impossible odds now wakes up every morning to a life full of color and laughter.
Her future is wide open — green grass, blue skies, and endless joy ahead.

Penny loves her life.
And her life — so fragile once, so full now — reminds everyone who hears her story that miracles are real.

So here’s to Lucky Penny —
the girl who beat the odds, the family who never stopped believing, and the doctors who dared to try.

💖 A great life awaits her.
A life full of love, light, and blessings.

Lucky Penny — and blessed beyond measure. 💖