Brave, energetic, smart, and strong-willed, Alyza is a 10-year-old who lights up every room she enters. She loves her family deeply, and her joy and determination inspire everyone around her.
Alyza was diagnosed with a brain tumor in March 2020, which led to two brain surgeries and a two-week stay in the pediatric intensive care unit. Her journey began with unexplained vomiting, respiratory issues, and seizures in her sleep, prompting an MRI that revealed a golf ball-sized tumor on her left temporal lobe.
Today, Alyza is thriving. While she continues to take oral chemo twice a day to keep her tumor from growing back, she has no other limitations—except for avoiding grapefruit due to medication interactions. She undergoes MRIs every four months and lab work every eight weeks to monitor her health.
Alyza’s cancer diagnosis has connected her family with a supportive network of pediatric oncology families and organizations, allowing her and her brother to attend camps, and special events, and make lifelong friends.
Alyza’s personality is as vibrant as her spirit—she’s sweet, sassy, loyal, and loving. She adores playing with slime, drawing, jumping on the trampoline, swimming, and going on adventures. She’s also a Taekwondo student, a Junior in Girl Scouts, and recently started yoga classes. At home, she cherishes snuggling with her puppy, Tessie, and spending time with her family. Alyza’s creative side often shines through when she plays “hospital” with her friends and dolls, showing how much cancer has shaped her story.
Hope session by Christi Allen Curtis Photography | Facebook | Instagram