Kaisa was diagnosed with cancer on April 22, 2024. Her journey began with a stiff neck that lasted for months. At first, doctors said it was just a crook in her neck. But after a CAT scan, they discovered an abnormality in her lower brain, and everything changed.
Because of her port, Kaisa cannot participate in rough play, but otherwise she continues to push forward with incredible strength.
She has already been through 13 rounds of radiation, three surgeries to place a shunt, a port, and an EVD. These treatments have been tough, and her family has faced many struggles along the way. The hardest part has been the constant worry. Life has changed drastically, and everyone’s focus is on making sure Kaisa is okay.
Through it all, her personality shines. Kaisa is silly, smart, and loves spending time outside with her family. Her biggest joy is being with her brother, who makes her laugh and brings her comfort during the hardest days.
Hope session by Casey Foggitt Photography | Facebook
Max was diagnosed with cancer when he was just five years old after experiencing nausea and flu-like symptoms. Since then, his journey has been filled with incredible bravery and resilience. Max has undergone four surgeries, completed five rounds of radiation, and is currently receiving his final treatment. He’s also endured countless MRIs, which he faces with courage despite being very scared of needles and hesitant to trust that people will be gentle.
Max’s diagnosis has profoundly impacted his family, who now cherish every single moment together while grieving for the life they imagined for him.
Max is an inspiring, positive, and intuitive boy who greets each day with energy and determination, even when things are tough. He loves building Legos and creating art, which allows him to express himself with confidence. Max has a special love for pandas, and his stuffed panda—his loyal companion since birth—accompanies him to every treatment and appointment, offering him comfort and strength.
After two years of stability, Max’s cancer has become more aggressive, but his incredible spirit shines brightly through every challenge. Max is a true fighter and an inspiration to everyone who meets him.
Kyra has always been very active in sports. She loved dumping water on her head during softball or soccer games. The beginning of 2017, She started putting on some weight and drinking water with an unquenchable thirst. She also started having stomach pains. At first, I thought it was an age-appropriate time for “cramps”. My mother disagreed and I took her to the doctor to investigate. At first, they said it was a stomach blockage, but nothing changed. They did a full blood panel and found out that her sodium level was severely low. They requested we bring her in immediately for a CT scan to make sure that she wasn’t having any seizures. The results were “no seizures, but we found a mass in her brain”.
She has had two rounds of chemotherapy separated by a round of 33 radiation treatments in the middle. During the second round of chemotherapy, Kyra went almost 3 weeks without eating, She lost a lot of weight and muscle mass. She was almost bedridden and could barely walk.
After that, she pushed herself to eat and get “back to where she was.” She wanted to play soccer and softball again. Due to the treatments and recovery thereof, she has gained back more weight than she is happy with. So we have been researching and reaching out to nutritionists, dieticians, trainers, etc.
We are also working with her on finding exercises for the mind. Helping her find tips or tricks to studying and remembering things that she will need to remember. It has taken extra work to help her develop her speech as she grows up. She has had difficulty maturing her speech due to memory retention. Sometimes her mouth and brain work at different speeds.
While Kyra was going through treatments, I found out that my business partner was embezzling, so our company folded up. It was a blessing and stressor. I didn’t have to worry about the business or disappointing clients, but now I had financial worries. We have been able to make things work. We live with my mother, and she was gracious enough to help with whatever we needed. She has been instrumental in Kyra’s journey.
Kyra is the strongest person I know. She looks at me as if I am strong and brave and I know that she tries to emulate that. But when we first found out about the tumor in her brain, her response was “Ok, what now? How do we get rid of it?” I remember being blown away. Like I usually have that response to breaking down on the highway or my power going out, and my 11 year old was just told about cancer in her brain and she just squinted, took a breath, and basically said, let’s do this.
She has never lost her light. I named her Kyra because it means Sun Goddess. She has been a shining example of her name. Even during treatment, she asked the nurses how they were doing, greeted people with a smile, joke, or a story. She is always smiling and trying to spread joy.
Jacob was diagnosed with Ependymoma in May 2023. Before his diagnosis, we noticed that the left side of Jacob’s face had started drooping. We took him in to see his pediatrician and they also noticed some weakness on the entire left side of his body and they ordered an MRI. A few days later we had an MRI that revealed a tumor in his brain.
After his surgery and finding out that what he had was an Ependymoma we started preparing for him to go through treatment. The treatment that he needed was Proton Radiation Therapy, so this meant that we had to relocate to Seattle for about 8 weeks.
This time was hard for our family mainly because we weren’t together all the time during this. Our younger kids stayed home with grandparents, and I would also try to alternate weeks between being home with our younger kids and being in Seattle with Jacob and my husband. Jacob handled the treatment very well for the most part, he struggled at times with being away from a lot of family members and friends. Luckily Jacob didn’t seem to experience a lot of side effects other than losing hair in the area where he was getting the radiation.
Going through all of this has completely changed our outlook on life. We really value all of the moments that we have together as a family and we don’t take anything for granted.
Melody is a very smart and mature for her age. She is silly, creative, and brave. Things that make her smile are anything that is silly from dances to jokes. She definitely loves arts and crafts, playing games on her iPad ( mainly Roblox), watching movies, playing with her sister, anything to do with Pokemon, shopping, and eating with family.
Melody was diagnosed with spinal cord anaplastic ependymoma (grade 3 tumor) in February of 2021. She started having leg pain and losing function and sensation for almost a year before her diagnosis.
She has had surgery twice, had proton radiation, and is now in a clinical trial. The most struggles we’ve had are not having normality in life, watching Melody struggle and be in pain, and the financial burden. For the time being, Melody is unable to walk and requires the use of a wheelchair.
This has been a great struggle both physically and mentally. Though I know that Melody is going through more than I am she is so much stronger than me and my wife. She has taught us a lesson about being more courageous and more faithful to God. Also, it has changed our perspective in life to know that everyone has their own struggles that they are trying to hide such as us.
Because Melody is too smart for her own good she has very deep thoughts. She has questions that I can’t answer though she has great faith in God. Through her hard times after both surgeries she went through a trauma stage where she would wake up in the middle of the night crying. But through pain and resilience she has overcome many obstacles, more than many many people can ever imagine. In her good times, she is a pleasure and blessing to be around. She is very silly and loves to joke around, especially with those she feels comfortable with. She is loving and caring towards me, my wife, and her little sister that she loves dearly. She will always be my Sweet Melody!
Isaiah is well known for his love of trucks! If you’ve never met him, bring him a truck and you will win his heart! He also loves playing with his big sister and his dog.
Isaiah was diagnosed with a brain tumour in February 2021. Prior to his diagnosis, he was vomiting out of the blue. It took three ER visits and five doctors before they finally did a CT scan and found the mass on his brain.
Isaiah underwent surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, and hyperbaric chamber treatments over the course of a year. Sadly, we just found out the tumours have now spread. Additionally, his walking is quite unstable and he needs assistance on uneven ground.
Our entire life has changed. We’ve changed what we eat and tried to eliminate as many toxins from our home as we can.
Isaiah has endured so much through his treatments, but he always has room for smiles, hugs, and giggles. He was a true warrior through it all and I will always admire his strength and tenacity.
