Ylaria

"Ylaria" translates to "Hillary" which means "cheerful." There isn't a more perfect word to describe our beautiful princess during her short five years of life. She had no noticeable symptoms, but in less than a few hours, we were told she had a grapefruit sized mass in her abdomen just three days after her second birthday.

She battled as hard as any child with cancer does – they are amazing examples to all of us, aren't they? The torture and pain she went through with thousands of treatments and procedures over the course of four years are too much to write about here. She also flew from California to New York and back over eighty times in her lifetime for these treatments!

One thing is certain – she remained cheerful. How? How is that possible? Because of many reasons: She KNEW she was loved more than life itself. She managed to create fun out of every hospital visit. She had three sisters who doted upon her adoringly. She was able to fulfill all of her wishes and dreams. The only thing she wanted more than anything else in the world was to be able to walk again and to go home and enjoy her friends and family. She enjoyed us as best she could to her dying day. But she never walked again and for that, we HATE neuroblastoma!

We miss Ylaria with every fiber of our being. She should be here with us. She should be doing things that little five year olds do. She should be celebrating holidays and birthdays with us. Please, help save the lives of children by supporting Cookies for Kids' Cancer. One more life lost is too many!