Angels of the National Angel Quilt

Jedediah Thomas Smith
9/29/1997 – 1/03/2010

“The True Testament of a Life Well Lived is the Love We Leave Behind”

Jed was a smiling, funny boy from the moment he was born. Always bright and sunny, he was the light of our family. Jed was diagnosed at four with ALL. He pushed through three years of treatment with courage and humor. After 18 months of being cancer free Jed relapsed in January of 2007. With his usual bravery we dove into cancer treatment again. Throughout the pain and fear of treatment Jed kept everyone smiling with his sarcasm and wit. He loved being with his best friend, D.J., playing video games, scootering and hanging out with family. Jed loved THON, the Penn State Dance Marathon that raises money to find a cure for pediatric cancer. He was an avid Penn State fan and loved his adopted organizations of Gamma Phi Beta and Acacia. Seeing his sister, Savannah, dance in THON as a Penn State student was a milestone he was looking forward to. Jed’s cancer returned again in November of 2009 and during the preparation for a bone marrow transplant there were many struggles. After an additional relapse Jed left his cancer behind on January 3, 2010. Jed is deeply missed and truly loved my many. In honor of his incredible spirit we continue to fight childhood cancer through The Jedediah Thomas Smith Foundation. The warmth of his light and love keep us going until we can be together again.

http://www.thejtsfoundation.org/
Jedediah Thomas Foundation

http://bigjedsworld.blogspot.com/
Big Jed's World Blogspot

Jennifer Michelle Bailey
5/22/1990 – 7/13/2006

Jennifer was a 5 foot 10 inch brunette who would try just about anything, she loved life. Jennifer was a very athletic person. She loved playing field hockey, basketball and softball for her high school ~ she even tried wrestling. During field hockey preseason training in August 2005 she pulled an abdomen muscle. This injury was affecting all her activities, so after a hockey game I spoke to one of the coaches and we agreed she needed to be seen by a sports medicine doctor. Jenn’s pain became unbearable; I ended up rushing her to our local hospital for an ultrasound. Our family doctor informed us that Jenn had a mass and he believed it to be malignant. We were rushed to Hershey Hospital.

Jenn was diagnosed with stage IV Neuroblastoma, a cancer that usually is found in children under the age of 5…she was 15years old. Jenn endured 7 rounds of high dose chemotherapy that were infused for three days at a time. She had many surgeries including a 12 hour resection.

In May we learned that the Neuroblastoma was still quite active in her body, in fact it looked untouched. We spent Jenn’s 16th birthday in New York at Sloan Kettering trying to decide what options were available for her. Jenn died on our Make A Wish trip, quietly and peacefully.
Her headstone reads, “No Longer Weary ~ New Strength Found”. It is from her favorite Bible verse, Isaiah 40:31 “But those who wait on the Lord will find new strength. They will fly high on wings like eagles. They will run and not get weary. They will walk and not faint.” Jennifer is missed by not only her family, but a close community in our home town.

Jesmine Isabella Uhl

Jessamine Lee Nail
11/10/1998 – 6/06/2009

Jessamine "Jessy" was one of a kind. She loved school, swimming, her friends, kittens and traveling with her mom. She was a healthy little girl and all seemed wonderful until Jessy started experiencing stomach aches and bone pain. In August 2007 she was diagnosed with Neuroblastoma, which is rare for a child her age. At the age of 8, Jessy underwent chemotherapy, radiation, surgery, biopsies and a stem cell harvest. She was a true warrior princess enduring all her struggles and still managed to help her family and keep up with her school work. In the fall of 2008, the doctors allowed Jessy to return home and resume her life as a preteen. She attended school again and got straight A's. She enjoyed horseback riding and hanging out with her friends again. She proved to all that a flower can bloom through adversity. In May, 2009, Jessamine had a high fever and shallow breathing. Her cancer on her lungs had created fluid which caused rib fractures. She was put on oxygen, however she developed pneumonia. On June 6, 2009 I held my baby in my arms as she joined Jesus in Heaven.

Jessamine, you were such a beautiful, smart, and loving young lady. You were truly wise beyond your years. You had a smile that would melt people's hearts, a smile that lasted into your last days. You are greatly missed every day I live without you. I know you are in a better place without pain, but it breaks my heart to have to live without hearing your sweet voice and touching your soft skin.

I love you baby, Mommy.

Jessica Easley
10/12/1999 - 10/13/2009

Jessica was an energetic, athletic, life-embracing, spit-fire with an old soul and a positive attitude. She was an honor student, and had a gift with both children and animals. She was an avid swimmer and hoped to make the Junior Olympics, but she developed a bump on her leg when she was 7 years old, and within a week, had a biopsy that revealed alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma, an aggressive cancer with a 30 year old treatment plan. It was March 2006. She began a 43-week chemotherapy regime. She had limb salvage surgery on June 21, but during the next 9 days in the hospital, with excruciating pain, the foot and lower leg died, and she had an above-knee amputation on June 30th to remove her leg much to her relief. She bounced back quickly from the amputation. She continued to attend school when feeling up to it, and was undaunted by hoping around on one leg. Nothing could stop her from living life to its fullest! She received her prosthetic leg in November 2006. She worked hard in PT so she could get back to basketball. On February 14, 2007, Jessica completed treatment and made it to remission. Jessica was unstoppable. She went hunting, rock climbing, rode motorcycles and horses, hiked, swam, played sports, and LIVED! She nicknamed her prosthetic leg "Elvis," and was doing very well with it. Through the fall, she felt her cancer was back. She had lung and breathing pains, exhaustion, a lump on her back, headaches and vomiting. Scans on November 28, 2007 did not reveal anything, and she was still declared in remission. She spoke out about kid's cancer doing radiothons, interviews and helping with fundraisers. She also bravely taught elementary school students about disabilities, sharing her experiences and displaying her stump and prosthesis. CT scans over the next nine months showed small nodules in her lungs. In April, 2008, it was clear that she had relapsed; she had surgery to remove a tumor, and again began a 9-month chemo regimen. Relapse has a 20% five-year survival rate, but the amazing Jessica defied the odds and made it to remission again in December 2008, only to relapse again in late August 2009. This time, the cancer was wrapped around her heart, in her spine, lungs, and lymph nodes. She had used up her lifetime allotment for chemo and her options were limited. Jessica made the most difficult decision and declined all options presented to her. After two weeks in the hospital, she was released to go home on hospice on September 9th. After a long and courageous battle, Jessica flew into God's arms on 10/13/2009, one day short of her 11th birthday. Of course, Jessica was ready, and had even written her will and planned her "Celebration of Life.

"Meet" Jessica on her CB: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/jessicaeasley/journal/76
Watch her video with Leeroy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7LA6RL2Plw
Jessica and her dog Leeroy shot this on Aug. 26, 2009, just six weeks before she flew to heaven.

Jessica Michaela Elam

Joey Barnes

Jonah Cruz Navarro

Jonah “Bolognah” Robert Diaz
07/25/2008 – 05/16/2015

Jonah “Bolognah” Robert Diaz peacefully passed away at home on May 16, 2015 after a previous day filled with family, Legos, cooking, and late-night brother chats.

Six-year-old Jonah passed from relapsed medulloblastoma, a relatively rare type of brain cancer, exactly two years after his first brain surgery. Throughout those two years, Jonah embraced every moment of life while enduring multiple surgeries, extensive chemotherapy, a clinical trial, and almost 60 cumulative days of radiation including daily anesthesia. Despite the vast treatments, Jonah was legendarily positive, determined, intelligent, brave, cooperative, and genuinely happy. His brothers were always there providing never-ending motivation, distraction, laughter, normalcy, shnuggles, and love.

Cancer never stopped Jonah from living life. After learning to read at three years old, he was an avid reader devouring books of every type; family always scrunched in closely to listen to his soothing voice. Jonah would play imagination games with his brothers for hours “becoming” anything from Tarzan to tigers to superheroes. His attention span far exceeded his family’s as he put together what seemed like hundreds of Lego kits and colored for endless chunks of time. Although he enjoyed the occasional cheeseburger, pizza slice, or hot dog, Jonah was infamous for his unique appetite of “savory” foods like Pad Thai, mussels, Chinese food, sushi, broccoli, and Dad’s smoked ribs and grilled chicken wings. He was the authority on constructing “the perfect bite” on every spoonful. He not only ate well, but the little chef loved cooking and baking with Mom in the kitchen. His culinary masterpieces ranged from the most delicious homemade blueberry muffins to creating his very own special hamburger sauce. When he wasn’t engaged in any of these activities, Jonah could be found swimming “crazy octopus” style, chasing pigeons, killing zombies, giggling during potty talk, dancing, giving compliments, collecting stuffies, riding rollercoasters, belly laughing, and giving the absolute best hugs.

Jonathan Brent Shannon

Jonathan Miguel Charre
12/17/1999 – 02/03/2015

Jonathan Miguel Charre was lost to childhood cancer at age 15. In our family, he was know as “bebo” (behboh) a term his dad, who is of Mexican descent, began using for him as an infant, “beebo” which is the Americanized version his older brother used or “beebs” which was my adaptation. After his diagnosis, he became known as “J” since that was the way his grandmother referred to him on social media and he decided to adopt it.

He was the middle of three boys and was friendly, talkative and well-liked throughout pre-school and elementary. One of his most remarkable features was his long lashes which, at his birth, actually caused the nurses to startle us by referring to him as a beautiful girl! He played upward basketball and was on the school basketball team in 4th grade and was a good student. He spoke fluent Spanish and enjoyed playing and watching soccer including his favorite Mexican soccer team “America”. In middle school, he decided to sign up for band. He wanted to play saxophone, like his older brother, but had to start with the clarinet. He greatly enjoyed being in band and some of his best friends were fellow band members.

He spent his free time playing video games, texting and spending as much time as possible with his friends. He followed pro- wrestling and specifically Rey Mysterio and Sin Cara. He loved comedians Jeff Dunham and “Fluffy” (Gabriel Iglesias) and watched their specials repeatedly. He also enjoyed going to the drive in movie and throwing the football or the Frisbee with whatever friend he might have in tow or with his brother before the movie started.

In June of 2013, the summer before his 8th grade year, he had become a big fan of “The Walking Dead” and developed a limp which we joked about as being his zombie walk. However, that limp led us to a diagnosis of Ewing’s Sarcoma. We were told that it appeared it had been caught early and the prognosis was good. However, after just 5 treatments, the cancer had spread throughout his pelvis making surgery impossible and limiting his survival rate. Over his course of treatment, he endured three different chemotherapy regimens, as well as radiation. In October 2014, just 3 weeks after his return to school, after over a year’s absence, scans showed additional tumors in new areas so he underwent proton radiation which extended his life long enough for us to take his Make A Wish trip in December 2014 to Cancun, Mexico where he participated in various activities including swimming with the sharks.

On January 10, 2015, the day after our return home from the trip, he was admitted to the hospital with fluid in his lung and 20 additional tumors were found. We lost him less than a month later.

Throughout his fight, he continued to share his smile with others and attempt to provide encouragement to other patients in the clinic. He always concentrated on people who, in his opinion, were worse off than he was. You can learn more about Jonathan and how our family is dealing with his absence on his Facebook page “J’s Journey”. https://www.facebook.com/prayforjonathan/

Jonathan Hunter Helwig

Jonny Onnen
10/18/2001 - 1/20/2006

Jonny was born in October 2001. He was an adorable child whose smile could light up a room. Jonny had his mother's blonde hair and his father's personality. Just the right mix of sweetness and ornery. He loved playing with his older sister Samantha - they were inseparable. He also had a baby sister Amanda who he loved to lay on the floor with and just watch. Now he has a little brother Ryan he never met. Jonny only lived four years but he had a life filled with joy, laughter, and love. I had to convince his pediatrician to run tests on him. Look at him- he looks fine the doctor said. And he is not complaining of anything either. I couldn't put my finger on anything but he looked pale and I knew he was way too tired than a normal three year old. He was diagnosed with Neuroblastoma not long after. Jonny had six chemotherapy treatments and surgery to remove his tumor. He did great with the chemotherapy and surgery. We would bring a laptop computer for him so he could play his favorite game Red Alert. It was after the stem cell treatment that he passed away. He will always live on in our memories.

One memory of him that always makes us smile is that he went through a phase where he wanted to be called Daddy. He figured that if we called his father (whose name is John) Daddy then he should be called Daddy too.

And so here’s to you Jonny. See you in heaven little buddy!

Jordan Baxter

Jordan Plauschinat

Joseph Aron Jannol
3/16/1993 – 8/27/2011

IF LOVE COULD HAVE SAVED YOU, YOU WOULD HAVE LIVED FOREVER

Joey was always the kid who was full of curiosity about how things worked and how to make them work even better. He loved riding his bike, playing ball, making up new games and inventions, listening and playing music, and anything scientific. He was a whiz on the computer, and was a great mechanic as well. Known for his great sense of humor as well as a deep compassion for others and animals, people always seemed to have a soft spot for this wonderful young man. His plan was to make the world a better place. When he was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor (Glioblastoma multiforme – a common but lethal brain tumor that typically strikes adults above the age of 50, not teenagers—The same kind of cancer that killed Sen. Teddy Kennedy) on May 20, 2010, soon after turning 17, his biggest worry was not that he was going to die, but that he was going to die before he ever got the chance to achieve that plan. He never felt sorry for himself and would tell all of us to keep the faith, he was convinced he was going to beat this cancer. He underwent a biopsy, and then did the 6 weeks of radiation and chemo, which did not work, then attempted various other forms of chemo which also did not work. He was too young for the clinical trials that might have saved his life or given him a significantly longer survival time, and by the time he was old enough to participate, it was too late. In April 2011, with maybe a few weeks left to live, he underwent a resection to remove as much tumor as possible in order to give himself a little more time to fight this demon, 50% of the tumor was removed which was about the size of an orange. He underwent additional radiation and a few rounds of chemo as well. Unfortunately, this last ditch attempt was not successful, although it did give us 5 more precious months with him. He was never able to return home after that surgery and earned his wings at a hospice just 15 months after being diagnosed. He faced his cancer with grace and dignity, and great courage. He knew the odds were not in his favor, but he never ever gave up hope. Joey- you are in our hearts always and forever. We love you, and oh God, do we miss you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9QGIk86fNE

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/joeyjannol

http://joseph-joey-jannol.virtual-memorials.com/main.php?action=reflections&mem_id=22214

Julian Avery
05/12/2003 – 01/19/2008

Julian loved life, his brothers, his imaginary pets especially his frogs!
He liked being called King Julian. He believed the world we live in was Julian's world.
He got cancer just before he turned 4, he wanted to grow up but only to be 5, so he could go to Kindergarten, which never happened.
He loved everything yellow, especially the sun and his yellow crocs.
He was shy , but had the best smile , a smile with dimples!
He loved his mama, Starbucks coffee and donut-holes.
When we went to Disney World on our make a wish trip, he turned to me and said "See Mama, wishes DO come true..."
He died fighting for his last breath. He was a tough little guy and is missed by thousands of people who had come to know him through Carepages...

Love you 'lil man, all the way to China!

Juliana LaMonica

Juliana Rose Donnelly
04/02/2007 – 08/19/2013

Juliana Rose Donnelly, girl called "J-Bird" and a "blue-eye angel" enjoyed music, dancing, singing and playing with her family, especially her dog Sandy. Juliana always loved going to the library and looked forward to playing and seeing her friends and teachers at Trinity Pre-School and later Washington School.

She enjoyed music, dancing, singing and playing with her family, especially her dog Sandy. Juliana always loved going to the library and looked forward to playing and seeing her friends and teachers at Trinity Pre-School and later Washington School, where she graduated from Kindergarten in June 2013.

Julieanne Miller

Kaeli Mae Brandt
05/07/2000 - 09/15/2009

Born in Hershey, Pennsylvania, an only child, Kaeli Mae Brandt was remembered by her day care friends as the “Happy school girl who would wait at the stairs to smile and say Hi to everyone walking in the door!” She wore a pink ballet outfit and Grammy would curl her hair and she would do ballet with Ms. Candy and the other children would twirl and twirl at the age of 5! She also would love going with Pop-Pop and Grammy to her soccer practice and soccer games even though when she got there she would let her mind wander off of the game.

At 5 years old, around her birthday she would get a servere headache but not cry. Instead, she would watch tv until she would vomit and then she would be all better and it would go away. But they came back and after the third one within one week we took her to the doctor. She was diagnosed with ATRT that spread to her spine, a stage 4 aggressive brain tumor and we would be lucky if we had three months but probably less and that it is so rare there is not protocol. That is where her 5 year fight began and my hero, my little girl fought and was considered the first metastic cancer free patient for this tpe of cancer in children after she went through a Clinical Trial at John Hopkins that had 5 major hospitals running and reporting it to John Hopkins.

Kagan Lucas

Kanesha Ann Greer

Nesha was a little mother hen. Always helping her sister Jaidyn (11) and brother Casen (4). She was very smart and excelled in school. She loved basketball and riding four wheelers. She always had a smile on her face and made new friends wherever she went. In May of 2012 she hurt her knee playing at recess. A couple weeks later it was still hurting, a doctors visit, an X-ray, and a Ct sent us immediately to children's hospital where they diagnosed her with stage IV osteosarcoma and a 10% survival rate. She fought hard and never quit smiling. In November, 2012 we came home and spent our final months here together as a family. We loved every minute we got with her. Nesha had the biggest heart and even in her worst times she always thought of others. We miss her every minute of everyday. We love you to the moon and back Nesha! TEAM NESHA ( Nesha's mom)

Kara Marie Adams
10/26/1998 – 09/03/2009

Kara was a huge fan of Hannah Montana and SpongeBob. She loved shopping in Walmart and eating at Chuck E. Cheese's. Kara was a very special and beautiful little girl. She always had that pretty smile. She touched so many lives and was loved by so many and will be deeply missed.

Katelyn Marie Ruckman
09/23/1993 – 02/07/2013

Katelyn was a typical 18 year old, she was working part time and in college. She had played soccer for 14 years, and rescued animals including 3 large birds. She was working on her degree in Bio-Science; her goal was to work for the CDC in a Level 4 Hot Zone. She was a caring and loving individual, who had a smile and laugh that melted your heart.

June 28, 2012 she was having what she called a “swooshing noise” in her head. She was taken to the local ER, and after labs came back, stated she had lost 2/3 of her blood. They started blood transfusions and she was admitted. The next day they told her they suspected Leukemia. She was transferred to a Pediatric Hospital. They did a bone marrow biopsy; she had the rarest form, AML Leukemia.

She bravely went through 2 port surgeries, both failed and had to be, removed. She had fevers 105+ which caused her to lose sight in her left eye for 2 months. She had staph infections, pneumonia, chemo caused her previous ACL surgery to react badly, causing her use crutches and wear a brace. Every 6 weeks she had her PICC line changed. She endured 50 days of IV Arsenic along with numerous other chemo drugs. Along with all the complications, she lost her hair, and knew there was a very small chance that she would ever have children of her own.
She is dancing in the sky and earned her Angel Wings 2/7/13. She wanted to help other families, and to raise awareness. Her legacy will continue, her mark she made, “Rock The Cure 4 Leukemia” is her legacy.

We miss and love you, you are our hero!
Love
Angela (Mom) Matthew (Brother) Brayden (Nephew)

https://www.facebook.com/rockthecure4leukemia/

Katherine Hallisy

Katie Laramie
03/01/1990 – 01/16/2011

Katie was a gifted artist who enjoyed life to its fullest. She knew how to find joy in the little things and has taught many of us to look for it. She was pursuing a degree in Graphic Arts and was in her sophomore year at St. Charles Community College when she was diagnosed with Peritoneal Mesothelioma on August 18, 2009. Her greatest disappointment was not being diagnosed, but having to discontinue classes. She was an honor student who loved school and was determined to get her degree. Katie also loved to cook and was considering going to culinary school after achieving her degree.

Katie’s love of life, friends and family was center of her entire being. She was never one to sit still long and if there was nothing going on, then it was time to make something happen. Anything Katie did had to include her music. She loved a wide genre, but her all time favorites were Elvis, the Dixie Chicks and Sheryl Crow. Even, a little Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn! Her other love was music from the 60’s and she always said she was born too late. She was our little hippie. Always in tie dye shirts and jeans. She was adamant in her political views and her views of the world, never afraid to tell you if she disagreed and loved a good debate.

Katie was strong, courageous, faithful, loyal to a fault, and very loving. She sometimes seemed to have a hard shellbut inside was a tender soul. She was a very confident young woman who achieved anything she set her mind on.

Even though 20 years was such a brief time here, Katie lived more in that 20 years than most of us do in our lifetime. She taught us to look for the good in everyone, to seek out fun and laughter. She taught us strength in so many ways.

We love you our Katie girl. You were a bright ray of sunshine who illuminated every life you touched. Daddy and I were supposed to teach you how to live your life and we now believe that God sent you to teach us. Thank you baby. Your Daddy, your twin brother and I will always be with you and you with us. Always! We love you, we thank you and we are all so proud of you and the way you lived your life. We will see you again our love, in the blink of an eye! The only way out is through!

Kayleigh Banfalvy

Keeghan Michael Kelley Barry
3/07/1996 – 8/31/2008

Keeghan was born on March 7, 1996. He was welcomed by his parents, Michael and Shannon, and his big sister Mackenzie. From the very beginning Keeghan was an old soul. Whereas his sister was the one who did everything at 500 mph with her hair on fire, Keeghan was content to observe the world around him. He never missed a chance to learn something new or appreciate the beauty of life.

When Keeghan was five-years-old, he watched a show on television about sharks and how they are more resistant to cancer than other animals or humans. He decided right then that he was going to become a marine biologist when he grew up so that he could study sharks and find a cure for cancer.

Fast forward to 2006. Just a few weeks after his tenth birthday, Keeghan started having headaches and nausea every day. An MRI revealed every parent’s worst nightmare - cancer. Keeghan was diagnosed with a Grade lll Anaplastic Astrocytoma brain tumor. In the next two years he would go through three brain surgeries, 32 rounds of radiation, months and months of chemo ... only to leave us on August 31, 2008 at the age of 12.

Missing Keeghan is a part of every single day for us. His smile, his laugh, his love of life ... nothing can ever fill the void left behind by his death. This is why we will continue to fight for a cure. Forever if necessary.

Keith Michael Constantine

Kevin Gibbons

Kori Quinn

Kortney Rose Gillette

Kristin Ann Hallock
11/12/1985 – 1/14/2002

Kristin was a beautiful and talented young woman with an independent nature and a free-spirit. She loved her family and friends deeply and was very protective of those she cared for. Kristin enjoyed writing and art and she had a real soft spot for animals, once bringing home a baby squirrel to nurture back to health. She was an energetic and fun-loving 13 year-old about to start the 8th grade when she was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in September 1999. After countless chemo treatments, radiation, several relapses as well as numerous blood transfusions and surgeries Kristin chose to stop treatment in 2002 shortly before earning her angel wings. Kristin always maintained a positive attitude regarding her illness and was often more concerned about the feelings of her survivors than her own fears about death. Kristin was anxiously awaiting the arrival of her first niece in 2002 and hoped that she would live to see the baby’s birth, worried that her niece would never know her. Although the baby arrived almost three weeks too late to meet Auntie Kristin, she has grown to know her through many stories and memories of her wonderful aunt. Kristin would be thrilled that she now has a nephew that also recognizes her through pictures as well. Kristin’s memory and wonderful spirit live on through annual celebrations of her birth, family stories of her life. She is deeply loved and greatly missed by all who knew her.

Kristoph Mecklenberg

Kurt Bourne

Kurtis Michael Lewellen

Our son was a healthy 16-year-old, attending high school at South Montgomery in Crawfordsville, Indiana. On Saturday, November 14, 2011, we were shopping and taking pictures of trying on hats, which we like to do. He was such fun, and made us all laugh. Strangely, he started complaining of a bad taste in his mouth, this might sound bad but first thing that came to mind was cancer, because my dad had lung cancer and before he found out he had it he complained about bad taste in his mouth. But I thought “no that would not happen to our son.” So I took him to dentist on Monday and learned he had 2 bad teeth. He went to school Tuesday, and by 8:15am he was experiencing blurred vision & slurred speech and taken to local hospital.

A mass was discovered so they rushed him to Riley Hospital, where he was diagnosed with PNET primitiveneuroectodermal-tumor brain cancer. We spent 1 week in ICU after he had brain surgery which they could only take out 20%, then we spent the next week up on the 9th floor of the Simon tower, during that time they also started radiation and chemo right away due to the size of his tumor. We spent 2 weeks doing radiation up at Riley cancer center. And then was transferred down to Bloomington Indiana for 5 more weeks of radiation at the Proton Cancer Center. And still had to come to Riley in Indy once per week for his chemo treatments. Got to come back home he got a small break and then at the end of February he started his intense chemo which was to run for 6 months during the 3 visit of intense chemo he also received blood transfusions and platelets due to low blood counts. Well after his 3rd chemo round at the end of April he started getting really sick not keeping anything down and having problems swallowing. So within the week he was back up to Riley and they decided to do his MRI early. And on the 9th of May, 2012, we were told the tumor was growing and that everything we had done so far hadn't helped. So they stopped all the intense chemo, and surgery was not possible due to the location of the tumor. They put him on the chemo pill in hopes to slow the tumors growth down. We prayed for our miracles. On July 7th 2012 he had fought long and hard but lost is fight.

We love and miss Kurtis Michael.

Kyle Dean Smith

Kyle Keith Grady

Kylie Williams

Kylie was diagnosed with Myofibroblastic Sarcoma of the mandible in August of 2008. Kylie endured very difficult treatments of chemotherapy, radiation, and a massive resection and reconstructive surgery of her entire lower jaw. For two years Kylie stood strong and fought her hardest to beat this ugly disease that just kept popping up in new places of her body. Throughout this time she was an incredibly brave, strong young woman, who had no idea how many people she touched with her strength, courage, and ability to move forward every day and do what she could to kick cancer’s butt! Kylie loved school, horses, animals of all kinds, fashion, her job, and of course all her family and friends!

On June 26, 2010 at the age of 16, Kylie shocked us all and earned her Angel Wings!

Good night, Sweet dreams, God bless you. We will always love you!

We miss you more than you know every day!

Kyra Meyer

Kyra Marie Meyer, my only daughter at the time, was first diagnosed with leukemia when she had just turned four. In her first bout with cancer, Kyra went into remission and stayed cancer free after 2 ½ yrs. of chemotherapy treatment and had seven care free years cancer free. She looked at the world differently than her peers, a day was a gift and people and friends gravitated to her understanding of what's truly important in life. Her leukemia relapsed while still 13 years old.

My daughter was yet again, faced with another 38 rounds of chemo and radiation. There were endless clinic visits, along with hospital stays and transfusions. Not only did she have to get through her treatments she was a teenager who faced lost friends, lost days and isolation.

My daughter faced all her obstacles with grace, fortitude, and perseverance often engaging her own opinions about treatment plans which always included beach breaks with her family, joining a teen group for teens with cancer and speaking on behalf of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Strangers remarked about the wisdom of the young remarkable girl they encountered and all she had endured and be able to smile and be so empathetic towards all. The short time she attended high school she gained new friends and much admiration. She was always the first one to listen to a friend’s problems and never bring up her own limitations.

Although Kyra was in remission, two months after her treatments were done; she was sadly re-diagnosed with a secondary leukemia/blood disorder and was to have a bone marrow transplant. Before that was to happen, she passed away a few months later from catastrophic complications; she had only just turned 16 in the spring of ‘09. I now know that when the sun shines brighter through the clouds and the stars glimmer more brightly it is because of my daughter, making it so, just as she did when she was alive.
http://pages.lightthenight.org/rm/DenverL10/WalkforKyra

Lailah Hathcock

Lake Bozman

Lauren Bayon Brown

Lauren Miller

Lauren Paige Olander

Lauren Paige Olander was a typical five year-old. She had just finished pre-school and was excited to start kindergarten in the fall. She loved playing with her friends, swimming, soccer, dance and exploring the great outdoors. Lauren was proud to have just become a big sister and was looking forward to going to the family's lake house with her new baby brother, Logan, for the first time and showing him everything there was to do there.

On June 4, 2011, Lauren was diagnosed with a rare Acute Biphenotypic Leukemia. After two weeks of treatment, Lauren's leukemia was drastically improving, but her little body just couldn't take the chemotherapy required and she died suddenly of an abdominal sepsis on Sunday, June 19th, 2011, Father’s Day.

Our broken hearts are still very heavy with grief. Not a day, hour or minute goes by that we don't think of and miss our sweet Lauren.

Leah Marie Goldberg

Liam Webb

Liam Webb was a normal, happy 3 year old boy. He loved playing with his sisters, eating pizza and jumping away in bounce houses. He was in perfect health and I had no reason to think that anything might be wrong with my child. During Spring break of 2013, my mom noticed that Liam was leaning his head to the side. I brushed it off and continued on with life. About a week later, my mother in law flew in to town and noticed that his head was tilted as well. I decided to take him to his pediatrician to have it looked at. The doctor believed it was an injury, and sent us home with orders to give him ibuprofen for the swelling and to come back in 2 weeks if his neck was not better.

Two weeks passed and Liam's neck was still tilted. I posted pictures of him online to ask family and friends if this had ever happened to their kids. I researched online and found explanations that ranged from torticollis to brain tumors. I actually laughed at the brain tumor explanation. "No" I laughed. "It is definitely not that serious!" I decided to call the doctor back to see what he suggested. He referred Liam to see a physical therapist and I called them right away. They were unable to see Liam until June which was still 3 months away! It was then that mother instinct kicked in, and I decided to take him to the emergency room. After a long wait, the doctor finally saw us and suggested an MRI. I thought that was a bit much because they would have to put him under anesthesia. Instead, we opted for the much faster CT scan. I knew nothing would show up. Nothing ever does, right? After another long wait, the doctor returned to our room and asked us to please turn down the Tinkerbelle movie that Liam was watching. It was then that I knew something was very wrong. "Unfortunately, there is a large mass located in your son’s brain." That was all I heard. My head started spinning and my world was shattered.

On April 11, 2013, Liam was diagnosed with a brain tumor. It would later be diagnosed as a very rare and aggressive tumor called AT/RT. Despite the diagnosis, Liam was doing so well! He made it through 3 brain surgeries, meningitis and a horrible staph infection that hospitalized him for 4 weeks, 6 weeks of intensive radiation to his brain and 3 bone marrow transplants! After his third and final round of chemotherapy, Liam became ill with RSV which turned into pneumonia. After being hospital¬ized for a week, he finally began to improve! His fever was gone, he was talking again and was about to be moved from the ICU floor. Unfortunately, and without any warning, Liam passed away on November 23. It was not the cancer that killed him, but the treatments that lowered his immune system so that it was unable to fight infection.

Liam Wuenn

Liberty Maya Arnold Simon