Baylie has the sweetest personality. She is always smiling and laughing. She is courageous and refuses to let cancer control her. She is a cheerleader at her school and is a great role model. She has an amazing heart of gold.
She had just celebrated turning 16 when she felt short of breath. She had been losing some weight and was very tired. I took her in to the doctor to make sure she was ok. Her lab work came back abnormal, but we were told she had a virus. We repeated the labs 2 weeks later and they had gotten worse. Again, we were told virus. I took her to the children’s hospital because my gut said it wasn’t just a virus. We were told that she probably had lupus and were referred to rheumatology. The rheumatologist decided to get a chest X-ray, which ended up showing a large mass in her chest. Within a week she was having surgery to biopsy one of the lumps.
She underwent her first chemotherapy on Halloween. She had many complications throughout her treatment, including emergency surgery on both legs for a possible septic joint infection.
Throughout this journey, she managed to maintain straight A’s and never stopped smiling. She stayed strong for her brothers because she didn’t want to scare them. Cancer really rocked our family, but it also brought us together more than we already were. We no longer take the little things for granted.
Baylie has been such an inspiration to so many. Her little brother was just diagnosed with a brain tumor and she is really stepping up to help ease his fears. No matter what life throws her way, she keeps a positive attitude.
Hope session by Morgan Alanna Photography | Facebook | Instagram