It’s been months since I last wrote here. On June 13, 2025, my world shifted forever when my mom passed away.

Grief has a way of reshaping everything—quiet mornings, family gatherings, even the way the seasons feel. I’ve been learning how to carry her love forward while trying to find my footing in this new, unfamiliar normal.

And just as we were navigating that loss, another chapter began—one we never could have imagined. On September 4, 2025, Leyla’s journey began with what seemed like something so small: a bump on the bus seat. She came home crying, her head hurt, and she vomited. We thought it was just a bug going around. She rested, and by the next morning she was determined to go to school. She LOVES Pre-K, her new friends, and especially her teacher, Mrs. Danni. It was Grandparents’ Day, and I was so excited to spend the morning with Zohee, then the afternoon with Leyla.

But by that afternoon, everything changed. Leyla had a severe headache, a low-grade fever, and she vomited again. When I arrived at school, the nurse was waiting. My sweet girl was fast asleep on the cot. She barely woke up long enough to walk to my car before falling back asleep. Again, we thought it was just a virus.

By Sunday, September 7, Leyla was completely out of it. Marie took her to urgent care, but they sent her home, saying it was “just a virus.” Even when Marie mentioned the bump on the bus, they dismissed it.

By Monday, Leyla was almost nonresponsive. Marie rushed her to the doctor, who sent her by ambulance to the children’s hospital. We still thought it was dehydration, maybe a stubborn virus. But the on-call doctor took one look at her and knew something was wrong. A CT scan confirmed it.

At 3:54 p.m., my phone rang. Marie’s voice shook: “She has a mass on her brain.”

I screamed. My body felt crushed under a ton of cinder blocks. My hands shook, my breath came uneven, tears blurred my eyes. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I ran out to the field, to my goats, who huddled around me as I cried out to Heaven. I prayed—maybe not the “right” way, maybe not with the “right” words—but I prayed with everything in me. I begged God for it to be a cyst, not the C word. I shouted, “Lord, WHY?!” I had just buried my mom in June, and now this?

The answer I felt in my heart was not “why,” but “have faith.” Faith like a child. Faith that somehow, some way, everything would be alright.

That night, Leyla went into surgery to relieve fluid on her brain and take a biopsy. By Wednesday, she was back in surgery to remove as much of the tumor as possible. They couldn’t take it all—it would have caused too much damage. The diagnosis came: Aggressive Diffuse Midline Glioma, K3K27 altered. A tumor that had only begun growing in July, but already so cruel. The prognosis: 6 months to a year. No cure. Radiation is the only treatment, buying us time—time to make memories, to live, to love, to smile and laugh like Leyla.

She is now in radiation, with 21 more days to go. Then we wait for the MRI. We are praying to be accepted into the CAR T Cell trial at Seattle Children’s, which offers the most hope.

I never imagined walking this road. I have been blessed with three wonderful children and eight beautiful, healthy grandchildren—until September 8 shattered our world. I no longer ask “why.” I no longer beg for this to be me instead of her. I lean on faith. I pray for a miracle by Christmas. In Jesus’ name, I pray this.

Through it all, the New Washington community and strangers we have never met has been remarkable. The donations, the gifts, the fundraisers, the prayers—you have lifted us when we could not stand on our own. There are no words big enough to hold the gratitude in my heart.

If you would like to follow or support Leyla’s journey, please join us in Leyla’s Fight Against DIPG/DMG #LeylaStrong 

Hash Tags to Use

💪 Strength & Identity

• #LeylaStrong

• #TeamLeyla

• #WarriorHeart

• #HerFightIsOurFight

💜 Love & Legacy

• #LoveLikeLeyla

• #LiveLikeLeyla

• #LoveForLeyla

• #HopeForLeyla

🙏 Faith & Prayer

• #GodIsBiggerThanCancer

• #PrayerIsPowerful

• #PrayForLeyla

• #PrayerWorks

• #PrayerChangesThings

🎗️ Awareness & Advocacy

• #GoldRibbon

• #GoldRibbonStrong

• #WeFightTogether

• #FamiliesFightCancer

• #CancerDoesntDiscriminate

• #PediatricBrainCancer

• #ChildhoodCancer