Dannille Vanderpool is determined to see her 8-year-old daughter grow up. The 33-year-old Napa police dispatcher has her to-do list, and even though she is facing great obstacles, Vanderpool plans to whittle down the list one feat at a time.

Six years ago, Vanderpool was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. She underwent surgery and had an ovary removed. From there it was a series of grueling chemotherapy treatments. Since then, the cancer has invaded her body five more times, most recently in May.

She had surgery and was able to return to work. However, within a month the cancer had returned and she needed to start chemotherapy. She was scheduled for chemo treatments once a week. The doctors discovered within two weeks of her treatments that she was developing even more cancer.

Her chemo schedule grew heavier, and she was scheduled for surgery.

Her kidneys then started to fail, and her white blood count was not enough for her to successfully undergo surgery. Vanderpool started dialysis twice a week and had her chemo increased to three days a week.

It's been a tough and scary road for Vanderpool, her daughter Sydney and family members.

"It's been very hard on my family. My brother is serving in Iraq. It's very hard on him not being here with me. But he is very focused on his job and my biggest concern is that he returns home safely," Vanderpool said.

Vanderpool considers herself blessed being surrounded with so much family support.

"My mother and sister live in American Canyon and they help out so much. My dad, a former reserve firefighter for American Canyon, lives in Illinois. He came out to take care of me and then had to go back home. However, he comes out once a month to help me out with things like changing light bulbs, mowing the lawn and other chores. Those things have to be done. And I'm not well enough to do them," Vanderpool said.

Vanderpool's illness has been especially hard on Sydney.

"She's worried, scared. She knows something is wrong, but she doesn't completely understand it. It hit her especially hard when I lost my hair from the chemo treatments -- twice. That was something she could see on the outside," Vanderpool said. "Sydney keeps a lot of her emotions inside. I am going to get her into counseling. I believe it will be good for her."

Despite the setbacks, surgeries, the daunting chemo and radiation treatments and the never ending doctor visits, Vanderpool has pulled together to keep upbeat.

"Attitude is everything. I have to remain positive. There is no way I'm not going to see my daughter grow up. There are still many things I want to do in my life. I have a list of thing I want to do, and I intend to mark off each one of them every time I accomplish a goal. I want to travel, I've really never been anywhere. I want to learn to ballroom dance, climb Half Dome," Vanderpool said. "I want to run a marathon. I was suppose to run the marathon last month in Chicago, but I had to cancel when I got sick again. But I plan to do it next year and raise money for ovarian cancer research. I don't think about dying, not that I haven't prepared for it. But I am going to fight this as long and as hard I have to. I have no other choice."

Sheriff's Lt. Tom Commander has high praise for Vanderpool's attitude and her work ethics.

"She's an excellent dispatcher. My opinion is that she's one of the best. Dannille is very professional and she has the ability to remain calm under pressure, which is a top priority for a dispatcher, considering the situations she deals with," Commander said. "Given the tragic events she has been faced with, she is handling it the best as anyone could. She is looking forward to the future. Her upbeat attitude is going to help her beat this thing."

Napa firefighter/paramedic Kevin Horn teaches a 16-hour emergency medical dispatching class to all new police dispatchers.

"Dannille just stood out as one of the sharper and brighter students in the class. She has shown great dedication for her job. Dannille is top-notch in what she does," Horn said.

Vanderpool started working for the Napa Police Department five years ago in the records division. She transferred to dispatch almost three years ago. Although on the job just a short time, she has been named Dispatcher of the Year twice.

If all goes well -- and Vanderpool is expecting nothing less -- she will be back on the job the first of the year.

"I love my job. It's almost killing me not to be there. I can't imagine doing anything else. It's more than a job for me, it's my passion," she said.

Vanderpool's supervisor, Michelle Sumner, couldn't agree more.

"Dannille is one of the best. I don't know if I have ever met someone who loved their job more than her. She's an outstanding dispatcher. Her favorite position is the radio. Dannille can anticipate what the officer needs and she follows through," Sumner said. "Even throughout her illness, she has been here at work whenever she is well enough. And she's so positive, with such an upbeat attitude. She is looking forward to coming back to work the first of the year. And we all can hardly wait for that to happen."

Vanderpool's worries are not all about her heath. Her financial situation also is weighing heavy on her mind.

Currently she is using her work sick time to cover her expenses. Come Nov. 24, that will end.

"I will be responsible to pay mine and my daughter's health insurance coverage, which is about $1,200 a month. I can't afford to be without health insurance. I can remain on state disability, which is 70 percent of my salary, but it doesn't cover my health insurance," she said. "I have no idea what all my medical bills have cost. But I know they have to be astronomical with the treatments, surgeries, CAT scans and everything else."

Vanderpool's colleagues are pulling for her. Not only have they shown their emotional support, they have pooled their efforts to raise money to help Sydney and Vanderpool, a single mom.

The Napa Police Officers Association has set up the Dannille and Sydney Vanderpool Fund. There are also fundraisers occurring in the near future. The Napa City Firefighters Association is hosting a golf tournament on Nov. 7 to help with Vanderpool's expenses. Mary's Pizza Shack in Napa is holding a fundraiser on Nov. 5. Twenty percent of the sales generated that day will be donated to the fund.

Although Vanderpool is determined to keep a positive outlook, she admits she has days when her illness gets the best of her.

"Of course there have been times when I guess I want to give up. But just as fast, I know I can't. I have too many wonderful things in life and too many wonderful people who love and support me -- who need me. I can't give up because of them. They are just amazing. They and the community have done so much for me. It's what keeps me going, and there are still too many things I have to do for me to give up," she said.

"I have days when I ask, 'Why me?' Especially lately. But then I snap out of it and my 'why me' days are over," she said. "I don't let myself ever dwell on it, but once in a while I have to let my emotions go."