During the 4th of July weekend, Kaleigh was enjoying a splash in the swimming pool when she suddenly emerged with a headache and neck pain. Soon after, she began vomiting. After several ER visits, a CT and an MRI, her family received the unexpected news that Kaleigh had a brain bleed near the back of her brain close to her spine. She was transported to Duke and on July 6th at 0400 she underwent emergency brain surgery. After 6+ hours in surgery, her family received even more devastating news, hiding beneath the bleed was a Medulloblastoma. Medulloblastoma's are an aggressive type of cancerous brain tumor that can quickly spread to the spine, bones, and other organs.

The neurosurgeons at Duke ended up removing a golf-ball sized tumor from Kaleigh who went on to spend 10 days recovering in the hospital. Upon discharge, Kaleigh and her parents uprooted their lives in Raleigh and moved to Philadelphia where she underwent 7 weeks (30 daily treatments) of proton beam radiation at CHOP (Children's Hospital of Philadelphia). The therapy was taxing for Kaleigh who lost 15 pounds since her diagnosis, but she and her parents stayed positive and they pushed through.

Back home in North Carolina, Kaleigh is now battling her way through 4 cycles of chemotherapy at Duke. This is arguably the most difficult part of her treatment journey.  At the start of each month Kaleigh gets admitted to the hospital for 1 week of inpatient chemotherapy.  While she is in the hospital hooked up to monitors and an I.V., so that she doesn't fall behind a grade level, Kaleigh still manages to attend school online almost every day. Her grades have been excellent and she enjoys the interactions with her 6th grade virtual teachers and classmates.

Monthly admissions to receive chemo are tough, but the 3 weeks following each admission are no walk in the park either. The family's weeks "off" from chemo consist of biweekly trips to the outpatient clinic for close monitoring and testing to ensure Kaleigh's tiny immune compromised body, fully recovers from the harsh toxins she's subjected to during each admission. Nausea and fatigue are common daily occurrences, and for 10 days following each discharge as her blood cell counts recover, there is a looming threat of an emergency room visit should she develop a fever for any reason. Following her first cycle she developed one of these "neutropenic" fevers, so she and her family had to spend 4 more days in the hospital. Kaleigh's second cycle was fever free, but each cycle affects patients differently so there was no guarantee she wouldn't experience another one. This is why during her fourth and final round of chemo, when she experienced some severe headaches, her family returned again and spent another night in the ER.  

As 2021 came to a close before being admitted for her 3rd round of chemo, Kaleigh was able to celebrate her 12th birthday with a small group of friends and she spent the holidays with her immediate family. She was especially excited to be able to hang out with her big sister who came into town for a while.

With a deep appreciation for just how much life can change in a year, Kaleigh and her family began 2022 with faith, focus, and hope. Kaleigh finished her chemo treatments with a triumphant ringing of a completion bell at the hospital, and almost immediately set her sights on returning to those things that she enjoys most in life including soccer and school. As she moves from recovery into remission, and begins living her fullest life as a brain cancer survivor,  it will take time to rebuild her immune system and stamina.

Please keep Kaleigh and her family in your prayers and know that your kind donations make a difference in the medical bills, living expenses, and transportation costs Kaleigh and her family continue to face as they fight to overcome this terrible diagnosis.

Your love and support help Kaleigh to be... #BulldogStrong