The phone rings twice before the familiar voice at the end of the line answers, the “hello” not a questioning one, it is amicable, and excited. It is the hello of an old friend who had been waiting for this phone call.
“Cathleen!” squeals the voice of the 15 year old who answers. Her smile is easy to picture--it hasn’t ever changed. A smile that can easily capture the attention and love of anyone who has the opportunity to meet this young woman and see it.
Sinclaire, who now resides with her parents in Providence, Rhode Island was born on June 24, 1995 in Boston, Mass. at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, the only child of Alexandria and Matthew Sinclaire.
“You could tell from the moment she was born that she’d have a lot of spunk,” said her father. “She had a full head of hair and set of lungs on her you wouldn’t believe.”
As a child, Ella was very interested in meeting other people and thoroughly enjoyed volunteering with her mother at various charity events and nursing homes, a ‘pastime’, of sorts, that has continued through her adolescence.
“I just wanted to make her a well rounded person,” said her mother Alexandria, “everyone always smiled when she walked into a room--she was quite the chatterbox; very outgoing--so I guess I thought it would be a good idea for her to spread her charm throughout the community and bring happiness into the lives of other people. That sounds completely cliche...but it’s so, so true.”
At the age of five Ella began playing soccer, and could often be found outside alone kicking the soccer ball trying to better her game. From a young age she was very conscious of the idea that practicing and hard work will always pay off in the long run.
When Sinclaire turned nine, her parents began noticing strange bruises on her arms and legs, first thought to be a result of being too rough during soccer games, or clumsily walking into chairs or tables.
“I never thought it would be leukemia,” said her mother, the pain clear in her voice. “When the doctor told us we were completely shocked. Having to hear that your nine year old has cancer...I just remember falling to the floor and sobbing.”
Sinclaire began chemotherapy in the spring of 2005, a month before her tenth birthday.
“I don’t know how she managed to do it, but every time she went to the hospital she walked in with a smile spread across her face,” said her mother. “She acted as if she wasn’t afraid of any of it--the tubes, the needles. She handled it better than any adult I’ve ever seen. I think she must’ve driven her doctors crazy, because she was always asking what the jobs of various instruments were. But they all fell in love with her, and they all told us that.”
After about two months of chemo, Ella slowly began losing her blond curls.
“I was sitting on my bed with my mom when the first one came out,” she said, “my mom started crying, but I guess I didn’t really understand why. I mean, yeah, it was weird to have my hair falling out, but it was just hair--it’d grow back.”
Throughout the whole horrible experience, Sinclaire was able to keep up her strength.
“ I was brought up as a Catholic, and my mother always told me to pray for things to get better. I guess I just knew that if I trusted God with my life and didn’t fear dying, I’d be okay.”
It took a year of chemotherapy before Sinclaire’s leukemia went into remission.
“I knew I’d be okay, I kept telling everyone that all along.” she said with a laugh.
Now, five years since she was first diagnosed with leukemia, Sinclaire shares her passion for life with those around her and continues to volunteer regularly at several different animal shelters and nursing homes located near Providence.
Sinclaire, like most other teenage girls, enjoys going out with friends, her favorite place to eat being Panera Bread. She also loves snuggling on the couch with her boyfriend, watching horror films and just talking.
Sinclaire hopes to someday attend Brown University in Rhode Island, although she doesn’t know what she’d like to study.
“I have time to figure all of that out, now,” she said, “sometimes a little faith goes a long way. It saved my life.”
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