Military Brother Returns Home To Surprise Sister Battling Leukemia

A United States airman gave his Leukemia-battling sister a moment she will never forget, when he returned home to surprise her before heading to overseas for three years. Alex Crider, 19, joined the Air Force in April 2023, and had been in training ever since. His sister, Maddie, who he is extremely close to, was diagnosed with T-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in October 2021 and has been in remission for around two years. The family were aware Alex could return home before being based in the United Kingdom – but they weren't sure when and only expected his visit to be a couple of days. In a touch of good fortune, tough, Alex discovered that he could return home for a week, and so he started to plan a surprise for Maddie, 16. On November 4, at the family's home in Missouri, Maddie waited for her mom Katie and younger sister to return from the store, as they had told her they were heading out to get cold medicine. Secretly, though, Katie, 37, had collected her son from the airport, and after she entered the house, Maddie was called into the living room. There, she discovered her older brother – a moment that left her speechless – before the pair headed in for an embrace that had been more than six months coming.

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