In late August of 2023, our then 7-year-old daughter, Lila, began complaining of persistent stomach pains. A few weeks later, what started as a routine follow-up appointment quickly turned into something far more serious. After growing concern from her specialist, we made a trip to the local children’s hospital — and that’s when our world turned upside down.

Lila was diagnosed with Rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare soft tissue cancer, and immediately began her fight at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. What followed was a year that no child should ever have to endure. There were 42 rounds of chemotherapy. A full month of radiation. Countless needle pokes, IV placements, scans, and procedures. There were missed days of school and milestones she should have been enjoying with friends. There were late-night trips to the ER for fevers, long hospital stays, and moments filled with fear and uncertainty. And through it all, Lila showed a level of courage and resilience that humbled everyone around her. She faced each treatment with determination, bravery, and an amazingly positive spirit that carried us forward even on the hardest days.

In August of 2024, after a year of fighting with everything she had, Lila was declared cancer-free. Our family will never forget the kindness, support, and love that carried us through. The meals, the messages, the prayers, the small gestures that meant everything. We experienced firsthand the power of community in the darkest moments.

Now, we are determined to be that support for other families walking the pediatric cancer journey. We simply want to do what we can — to ease the burden, to lift spirits, and to remind families that they are not alone.