Support Kaia's Fight Against Cancer

My name is Zac Christensen, and this is my best friend - my little sister Kaia. Kaia is an honor roll student, a track team captain, and the most caring person I have ever met. Saying that Kaia is mature beyond her years is an understatement. I may be 4 years older than her, but she teaches me something new every day. Whether it is about how to treat others with respect and kindness, or real-life lessons about how much pepper to use in the kitchen, Kaia has always brought out the best in me and everybody who has had the pleasure of knowing her.

On June 12th, 2025, Kaia came home from the gym around 11 am, as she does almost every day. She asked me to feel a bump on her neck. She thought nothing of it, and we even agreed it was kind of cool. Out of an abundance of caution, my mom took her to urgent care, where they feared the worst. Two days later, Kaia was in surgery at Rady's Hospital for a cancer biopsy.

On June 18th, she was diagnosed with stage 2 Hodgkin's Lymphoma. Kaia's response was unbelievable. She took a few minutes to gather herself, but as the rest of us were still reeling, she was strong enough to ask the most important question: "What's next?" She was scared, but her strong-will and determined nature meant that she was only going to worry about what she could control. Somehow, she knew that she was going to get through this. Our entire lives, her strength has given me strength, and this is no exception. Seeing her face one of the scariest diagnoses that you can get and barely blink, empowered all of us to get out in front of this.

As Kaia begins this long journey, medical bills have already started to stack up. Kaia deserves to go through this process without the additional stress of the financial burden this will place on our family. Any donations that you can give will help to forever change her life and will be forever appreciated by our family. Thank you for taking the time to read this, and thank you for anything that you can give.