Coco’s Cheerleaders: 2 yr Old Cora’s Fight Against Leukemia

Hi Friends & Family. Two weeks ago our neighbors, Katie & Shain Lichty, had their world flipped upside down when 2 year old Cora aka Coco was diagnosed with b-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. It still feels surreal typing that out as tears stream down my face.

Coco is the little baby boss of the girl gang we have on our street—8 besties that have grown up together. She is the coolest, sassiest baby girl around and likes to drop it low to“Lovin on Me” by Jack Harlow and “Texas Hold ‘Em” by Queen Bey—Auntie Jackie isn’t a great influence.

Katie & Shain have three little girls: Vada, Hazel and Cora makes their family of 5 complete.

Our street loves and fights like family… and we support each other in times of need like now.

A little about Coco’s journey so far in Katie’s words:

“Little Cora had a swollen lymph node on the left side of her neck I noticed when she was around 18 months. I brought it up to the pediatrician, who said it was likely something viral or from teething, and not to be concerned.

Fast forward to the week before Christmas ‘24 (she had just turned 2 the month prior)- and fell off of a kitchen chair. We suspected she injured her right arm and had it imaged. Those X-rays came back negative, and we just assumed it was a bone bruise.

On January 10th 2025, Cora stopped using the left arm, and we again thought it could have been from the fall, and took her to the urgent care. They suspected it to be a toddler fracture and for us to follow-up with orthopedics. On January 14th she was casted for 2 weeks. After the cast was removed January 27th, we thought all of the arm problems were fixed.

The next day, on January 28th, her arm wasn’t improving and her lymph node seemed larger. In my heart I knew something was wrong, but kept hoping it was something small like an infection. I called the pediatrician and begged for an ultrasound of the node, and had it imaged the next day. Those results showed probable cortical thickening, and a thin hilum. The node itself was measured quite large, and after a google search, all signs pointed to something negative.

Again, I begged for bloodwork, and those results came back with elevated WBC, sed-rate, and C-reactive protein. Guess who wasn’t concerned? They had us follow-up with ENT who put her on augmentin for 10 days to see if that would decrease the size of the node- basically just throwing a broad spectrum drug at it to see what it does…

February 1st we were in the ER with her because that night she started limping and not using her left leg. When she tried to stand she would fall to the ground, and there was no known injury to cause it. More labs showed everything elevated more, but I’ll never forget that ER doctor said it was 100% not leukemia…

We knew as parents we had to keep pushing for answers, so I connected with Lurie Children in Chicago to meet with an oncologist- she wanted her arm checked again before our visit just to be sure there wasn’t a fracture hiding.

Her left arm still was in pain, and she was now waking up moaning in pain every night. A re-visit to the orthopedic prompted him to image her entire left arm and it was then we saw lesions in her proximal humerus and new bone growth.

We were at the oncologists office February 12th getting a slew of bloodwork. It was that night she called us around 9pm and let us know it was 100% cancer.

By the next morning she was in surgery getting a bone marrow aspiration, port placed in her left chest, and a spinal tap to introduce her first round of chemo into her CNS. Valentine’s Day Cora was getting her first round of chemo, and we then had her diagnosis of b-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. This was all so surreal and a punch to the gut, because every other medical professional was not concerned. No way it was cancer.

We then spent the next 5 days admitted for another round of chemo and labs around the clock. Her initial bone marrow aspiration showed her bone marrow was filled with 97% blasts spilling out into her blood with 6% blasts.

Essentially, her little body was over-taken with cancer cells. Every Friday she will be enduring chemo and at day 29 of treatment will under-go another bone marrow aspiration to see if the chemo is working. Day 29 will either allow us to continue on our current treatment path, or if we have to take a longer, harder road.

Either way, our journey will be long, but we know she’s a fighter. Being the baby of 3 girls and anyone that knows her knows she is scrappy and will tell it how it is. She was known at the hospital as the little girl that told all the doctors “don’t touch me, go away”.

In the end- trust your gut. Push for the tests. You know your kids. ✌ pediatrician that said it wasn’t anything to be concerned about.”

We all got together for Super Bowl right before they got the official news about Coco. My heart shatters thinking about the “mom guilt” I saw on Katie’s face. Sister—you did everything you could and more. I’m so inspired by your Mama Bear ways.

I’ve imagined having tons of conversations with my girls. Nothing could’ve prepared me for telling them their friend has cancer. I can only imagine what it’s like to be in the Lichty’s shoes, and I know our beautiful community will show them the support they need right now.

“And though she be but little, she is fierce.” – William Shakespeare

I have that quote in our nursery and it resonates right now. The expenses have already started coming in for Katie & Shain and if there is one thing we can take off their plate, it’s stress over medical bills.

Don’t have funds to donate right now? Let Coco’s fight inspire you to make a difference in the world and share it with the Lichty’s by using the hashtag #CocosCheerleaders. Or dancing baby videos, those always makes Coco giggle.

Thank you for keeping Coco and the Lichty Family in your thoughts and prayers, stay tuned for updates and other ways to help!

Another mom from our hood, Danielle, set up a meal train for those local:

“ Meal Train for Katie and Shain Lichty and Cora

Our dear friends and neighbors, Katie and Shain Lichty, need our support more than ever. Their youngest daughter, Cora who is 2, was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) last week, and as they focus on her treatment and healing, we want to help lighten their load in any way we can.

If you’ve ever been to our house, you know that Katie and Shain were probably there, celebrating alongside us with their girls. They’ve been part of our family for years… Elia and Vada have been besties since before preschool. Their girls are like our own. And Katie and Shain have been some of our best friends since.

Now, it’s our turn to show up for them.

We’ve set up a Meal Train to help take care of meals so they can focus on Cora. If you can donate a meal, a gift card, or anything else to support them during this difficult time, it would mean the world. Every little bit helps!

Cora began chemotherapy on Valentine's Day and will be having weekly treatments in the coming months. Pray for sweet Cora, big sisters Vada and Hazel, and the Lichty family as they navigate these challenging times.

https://mealtrain.com/dvl6rl

Please share, spread the word, and keep this incredible family in your thoughts. Thank you for any support you can give! #TeamCora #MealTrainForCora #SupportingOurFriends”

“You never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have.” – Bob Marley.