01/09/2026
QLF Provides “a Light at the End of the Tunnel” for a Young Girl and her Family
By Dave Scheiber
Ana remembers the precise moment that life forever changed.
Four years ago, she and her husband, Adam, were in the Tampa hospital room of their then 8-year-old daughter Scarlett. Her health had been mysteriously deteriorating for three months – first with sporadic leg pain that eventually grew worse, then a loss of appetite and the appearance of a yellowish skin pallor.
Now the words from the doctor’s diagnosis hung surreally in the air and made their hearts sink – Scarlett had leukemia. She would need to begin chemotherapy in a matter of days.
“We held in our feelings, because we didn’t want to show any emotion in front of her,” Ana recalls. “And I had to go home to care for my nine-month-old daughter, Leeana.”
The weight of the situation hit them as they headed to their house in Plant City, but at least they had an answer for Scarlett’s plight, and they would handle it as best they could. As it would turn out, Quantum Leap Farm and its healing equine therapy program would play a significant role in Scarlett’s gradual road to recovery.
Once a week, you can see her at the pastoral campus enjoying a calming ride atop one of the farm’s horses, guided by a farm staff member inside the spacious arena. Her chemotherapy regimen lasted two years, ending in May 2024, and life has regained a welcome sense of normalcy.
“She’s doing well,” Ana says. “Her treatment is done. She only has to go for checkups every month, then every three months, then every four, and so on. Just the fact that she doesn’t have to undergo chemo anymore is such a relief. And she loves coming here. It has built her confidence, and she’s learning a lot about horses, too.”
“I really look forward to coming here,” Scarlett, now 12, adds with a smile.
Their path to Quantum Leap Farm is a familiar one. One of the doctors mentioned to Ana the great work of 1Voice, the Tampa-based nonprofit founded and run by director Mary Ann Massolio, in supporting children with cancer and their families. Ana called that same day and soon received much-needed emotional and even financial support from the organization.
That was a blessing since she had left her day job after Scarlett’s diagnosis, homeschooling her while the couple relied solely on Adam’s income to make ends meet. Despite the hardships, they remained calm. “We relied on our faith in Jesus,” she says. And then another door opened thanks to 1Voice’s helping hand.
“When I visited 1Voice for the first time, there was a picture of a child riding a horse, and that is when Mary Ann told us about Quantum Leap Farm,” Ana recollects. “I said we were very interested.” The next time 1Voice participants attended on a Tuesday morning, Scarlett joined them – and was immediately hooked.
She found herself overcoming initial nervousness and riding a horse for the first time. “She really liked it,” Ana says. “And her little sister even started riding when she was 3. So it’s involving the whole family in such a positive way.”
Scarlet’s blood counts would occasionally fall too low while she was undergoing chemotherapy for her to attend. But now that she’s done with her treatment and no longer on chemo, she’s thrilled to be a weekly rider with 1Voice.
“I’m so happy Quantum Leap is part of our lives now,” says Ana, watching Scarlett on a guided ride nearby. “Being here around other families that are experiencing the same thing – and seeing so many people who have overcome challenges thanks to the wonderful staff here – it helps you see a light at the end of the tunnel.”
