Diagnosed at age 4 with a chronic digestive disorder, 8-year-old Annabel Beam experienced intense pain and frequent hospital visits. "She was always so sweet and gracious," her father, Kevin, told TODAY. "She wasn't making a big deal out of it, and she was suffering in silence."
But the suffering started to overwhelm Annabel.
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"I told my mom, 'Mama, I want to die, and go to heaven with Jesus where there is no more pain. I don't want to be in this much pain for the rest of my life,'" she said. "And so I was so committed to just giving up that sometimes whenever I couldn't sleep I'd kinda try and figure out what would happen if I did die. Then I decided, my mom would come with me. My dad would stay and watch my sisters."