Four girls have come together two years after they beat cancer together. All were diagnosed with the disease and treated at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg. McKinley, Chloe, Ava, and Lauren have all come together to celebrate life again. All of them had different cancers, but when they were treated in the same ward they found each other. The four instantly became best friends and spent as much time together between treatments as they could.

“She’s three years old and doesn’t have any hair, but all her friends in the hospital look the same way. So it kind of gave her some normality” Lauren’s mom Shawna Glynn said. Another mom added, “It was just always a breath of fresh air to see a familiar face, and to know that she wasn’t alone in there.”

The friendship also helped out their parents, who were confronted with an extremely tough time as well. Karen Moore, McKinley’s mom said that “from the standpoint of a mom, too, having other moms to relate to has been phenomenal. Just to have other people going through it at the same time as us.”

Nurse Paige Ward, who took care all of the girls, couldn’t be more exicted for them. “It gives me chills, it makes me want to cry. I mean, I love these kids as if they were my own, for sure. They’re awesome.”

Everyone is so proud of how far these girls have come, and that they have all battled cancer together, forming friendships during the journey. The girls seem to love that they’ve got their long hair back now, too.

This year, Lauren has finally rung the hospital bell to signal that she’s beaten the life-changing disease, making the reunion even more significant. She’s starting kindergarten soon, but now all four girls have beaten cancer, they are planning annual reunions to catch up with one another.