'Ansley's Attempt' sets Guinness Book World record

DANIEL ISLAND, SC (WCSC) - A five-year-old Mt. Pleasant girl's year long battle with cancer is finally over. Ansley McEvoy's last chemotherapy treatment took place early Saturday morning. To make her day special, more than 1,500 people throughout the Lowcountry got together to celebrate her accomplishment in record breaking style.

"I can think of no better way to celebrate than right here with our 4,000 closet friends," says Ansley's mother, Amy McEvoy.

The McEvoy family has a lot to cheer about.

"It is a year ago today that Ansley was first diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma stage 3," says Amy.

In exactly one year, Ansley went through 22 rounds of chemotherapy, five surgeries, and countless doctors visits.

After her last oral chemotherapy session, she got a surprise she won't soon forget.

Amy McEvoy says with the help of family friend Mason Mosie, Ansley's two favorite things greeted her at Blackbaud Stadium on Daniel Island, Saturday.

"He asked us what she enjoyed doing," says Amy. "We told him she enjoyed getting cards and coloring. He combined those two things and said why don't we set a world record for the largest mosaic picture and have it be one of Ansley's pictures that she's drawn."

The whole family watched from a sky booth as a picture of themselves under a rainbow formed below them.

With the help of 1,458 people holding large poster boards above their heads for ten minutes, Ansley McEvoy now holds the world record for the world's largest picture mosaic.

"This is the beginning and the vision just continues to grow," says Ansley's father, Matt McEvoy.

Matt says the record breaking event is just the kick off to an even bigger goal.

The family envisions the construction an use of The Journey House, a home away from home that people like the McEvoy's can live in while their children are going through the same treatments Ansley experienced.

"It's a huge vision," says McEvoy. "A lot bigger than us but cancer and chronic disease is a huge problem. A community like this can step in together and if everybody even just gave a small amount it multiples and then the next thing you know we're able to serve a lot of people."

The family says they've already raised $50,000 and hopes to reach their first benchmark of $250,000 by the end of March to secure land downtown for the Journey House.

If all goes according to plan, they hope to break ground on the project by Summer 2012.

To donate or get involved go to www.theJourneyHouse.org for more information.