An Update on Tee

️Dear Friends, Family, and Supporters,

Our hearts are completely shattered, but we want to honor the incredible life of Meme's beautiful baby girl. After a fierce, brave battle with cancer, our sweet Tee—has gained her wings and will live eternally with Jesus. She may have been almost 3 years old, but the love she left behind is vast enough to fill a lifetime. Tee was an absolute bright light. She was so incredibly sweet, funny, and caring, bringing endless laughter and joy to everyone lucky enough to know her. Even in her hardest moments, her resilient spirit shone through. While we are devastated beyond words, we want to celebrate the profound impact she made on this world in her short, precious time. We want to express our deepest gratitude for the immense impact you have already made. Because of your past donations, the family was able to focus entirely on loving Tee, holding her tight, and fighting alongside her without the crushing weight of immediate financial panic. You gave them time, focus, and peace when they needed it most. Thank you for that priceless gift.

*Now, we are facing an entirely new heartbreaking chapter, and we urgently need your help once more. We are pleading with our community to support the family through the tremendous burden of Tee’s memorial and funeral costs. No parent should ever have to plan a funeral for their toddler, let alone worry about how they will afford to lay their baby girl to rest. *Every *single *dollar matters immensely right now. Your continued financial support will allow the family to give Tee the beautiful, celebratory send-off she deserves, while giving them the space to grieve without being buried under financial strain. Please consider donating if you can, and please share Tee's story with everyone you know. Thank you for wrapping this family in love, prayers, and generosity during the most unimaginable time of their lives.

Memorial & Viewing Details

We invite all who loved Tee to join us in celebrating her beautiful spirit and honoring her memory.

Public Viewing:

▪️Date & Time: Sunday, May 31st from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM

▪️Location: Taylor Funeral Home (214 N Main St, Dickson, TN 37055)

Repass (For friends and family to follow):

▪️Time: 6:00 PM

▪️Location: The Station | Event Venue (100 S Mulberry St, Dickson, TN 37055)

️How You Can Support the Family

Right Now, If you are able to help alleviate the financial burden of these memorial services, donations can be made through the following ways:

GoFundMe: Online contributions can be made directly on Teegan's GoFundMe Support Page.

Direct Donations: Personal donations can also be given directly to Demequa Russ to ensure immediate access for upcoming costs.

With all our love and gratitude, Meme Russ - The Proudest Mommy to my two perfect babies.

Help Support Teegan Russ (precious daughter of VUMC employee Demequa Russ) in Her Fight Against Leukemia

Our VUMC work family recently received heartbreaking news: our coworker and dear friend, Demequa Russ, learned that her sweet 2-year-old daughter, Teegan, has been diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML).

From Meme:

I wanted to inform my work family that our sweet baby girl, Teegan, was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia yesterday. This morning she will be having a bone marrow biopsy and port placed in her chest for her chemotherapy treatments. Her treatments should start within the next day or so if not today. She is expected to be inpatient for about a month, give or take, before continuing her recovery at home. Please keep my angel in your thoughts and prayers. She’s a fighter like her mama, so I am not worried at all that she will have “cancer survivor” as a superpower one day.

At just two years old, Teegan should be spending her days playing, laughing, and discovering the world around her. Instead, she is beginning the fight of her life with months of hospital stays, treatments, and all the uncertainty that comes with such a difficult diagnosis.

As “Meme” (Demequa) and her family focus on what matters most—supporting Teegan through treatment and surrounding her with love—we want to come together as a community to ease some of the burdens her family will face. Extended hospital stays bring not only emotional challenges but also unexpected financial strain from travel, meals, time away from work, and other expenses.

This GoFundMe is an opportunity for us, across VUMC departments and teams, to join together in support of our coworker and their family. Every donation, no matter the amount, is a reminder that Meme and Teegan are not facing this alone—that they have an entire VUMC work family standing beside them.

Please consider donating if you are able, and most importantly, keep Meme, Teegan, and her family in your thoughts and prayers as she walks this difficult journey. I will keep you updated with any developments.

Together, we can lighten their load and remind them that love and community are powerful forces in the fight against leukemia.