Five years ago, Hannah Naylor started creating Valentine’s cards to lift the spirits of sick children across the United States.

Little did she know that a few years later she would be afflicted with a serious medical condition and be on the receiving end of similar get-well cards.

Last year at this time, as she was preparing for brain surgery at Duke Children’s

Hospital, she could not hold a party with her friends to create the homemade cards. But her medical conditions did not prevent her from doing it this year.

On Saturday afternoon, the 15 year old gathered with about 20 friends at her parents’ Rocky Mount home to hold the event, which is becoming an annual tradition and attracting more people each year.

Up until fall 2010, the Faith Christian School student was an avid dancer, cheerleader, cross-country runner and swimmer.

“I took my health for granted,” she said.

Hannah’s mother, Sheryl, said her daughter’s life changed in an instant when her health started to decline.

“It’s been a difficult year. She’s still not back in school yet,” she said.

Naylor first began having headaches and pain in her back, shoulders and neck. Medical tests in Rocky Mount revealed that fluid-filled lesions were growing in her spinal cord, a rare condition called syringomyelia. She was immediately referred to Duke Children’s Hospital. There, doctors discovered that her brain was pressing too tightly against her skull.

During the 2010 Christmas holiday, she began losing feeling in her hands and legs. Doctors recommended surgery to remove part of her skull to allow the cerebral spinal fluid to be restored to a proper flow to avoid any permanent paralysis or damage.

The surgery occurred on Feb. 15, 2011, the day after Valentine’s Day.

Her medical problems did not end there. Over the last year, she also has been diagnosed with juvenile arthritis and a heart condition.

Sheryl Naylor said she is proud of her daughter’s dedication to holding the card party.

“She’s always been a compassionate child, and has always fought to help others who are less fortunate, never knowing she herself would be in a situation that she would rely on others so much for encouragement and care,” she said.

He father, Ed, said he feels like his daughter is showing her religious faith and God’s love.

“Going through what she has in the last year, she understands what it’s like to be on the other side of it,” he said.

Hannah Naylor said she first decided to start making Valentine’s Day cards for sick children five years ago after a Christian radio show recommended it.

She did it alone the first year, and started the card party the following year.

During her stay at Duke Children’s Hospital last year, she learned firsthand how get-well cards can uplift a person’s spirit.

“It was amazing. All the cards came in at the exact time that I needed them,” she said.

On Saturday, she had compiled her own list of sick children throughout the country who would be receiving the customized cards made at the party.

The list included the names and addresses of the children, as well as their interests, such as one child from Missouri who liked the television character Sponge Bob.

“I spend a long time on the Internet looking for names and addresses of sick kids,” Naylor said. “What I like about finding them on the Internet is you get to see their interests, the things they like, so you can personalize (the cards) more.”

This year, some of the Valentine’s cards also will be delivered to Breckenridge Retirement Center and to the medical staff at Duke Children’s Hospital to thank them for caring for her.

At the end of the card party, she and her friends say a prayer for the sick children and promise to continue to pray for them throughout the year.

Naylor’s cousin, 11-year-old Lauren Evans, has attended the card party each year it has been held. She said the retirees should be pleased when they deliver the cards.

“It’s kind of nice because people are lonely, and they don’t have any family, so when you make cards and bring them over there, it just really touches them,” she said.