Today we lost a precious 18 year old girl named Ariel Gandy. Ariel was a warrior in more than one sense of the word. Ariel was a warrior of God’s army and Ariel was a warrior in her battle with cancer. Diagnosed 20 months ago, Ariel was only given 3-6 months to live. Her determination and will to never give up was inspiring to so many across this world; and when I say across this world, that is no exaggeration. Her story was shared in other countries by missionaries who were moved by her determination and people in far away states heard of her story and started prayer connections. Tallahassee fell in love with Ariel, from her exciting time she spent with the Florida State Football team, to time with our local fire fighters at fundraisers to fight cancer, to her special night at Leon’s Homecoming, she always inspired people to never give up.
Saddened is not a strong enough word for how I am feeling due to the loss of Ariel. My heart is heavier then I have ever experienced and I cannot imagine the grief her family is experiencing during this time. My prayer is people will remember Ariel’s determination and fight to never give up. As her step-Mom Jane said, she was a true reflection of Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
