In memory of Kylie

When Kylie was only a few months old, she was given the nickname Smiley Kylie, a moniker she lived up to her whole life. She never had a mean thought or a bad word. She loved the color pink, whose bright and rosy qualities defined her.

Just a couple of weeks shy of her fourth birthday, she was diagnosed with a medulloblastoma, a tumor in her cerebellum—the part of the brain just above the stem that maintains balance and posture and influences emotion and social behavior. Her life—and the lives of all who loved her—changed in an instant. She was immediately rushed to surgery to remove the tumor, then underwent months of chemo and radiation. But it turned out that was just the beginning of a long journey for Kylie. She suffered from the effects of her treatment throughout her life, both physically, emotionally, and academically. She fought bravely for 15 years, without a complaint or even a tear. She never gave up on her body, but ultimately it gave up on her.