Keith Desserich

Diagnosed with a rare and inoperable brain cancer and just six years old, little Elena Desserich did something remarkable in the last nine months of her life.

The youngster hid hundreds of notes around her home for her parents, Keith and Brooke, and younger sister, Grace, to find after she died.

Tucked in drawers, bags, the china cabinet and between the pages of books, the handwritten messages displayed her enormous love for her family.

They featured drawings of hearts, smiling stick figures and heartbreaking comments like "I love you Mom, Dad and Grace" and "I'm sorry I'm sick."

Keith, 41, and Brooke, 42, discovered Elena's notes over a nearly two-year period after the brave little girl passed away in her bed in August 2007.

Today, almost a decade on from their daughter's death, they say they continue to find comfort in the messages - with many hung up around their house. They still carry one note each with them every day. CLICK FOR MORE