JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Tom Coughlin Jay Fund’s slogan is “Be There.” Two simple words with a world of impact for families battling childhood cancer.
For a pair of siblings, being there was all they wanted to do for their little sister, who had surgery ahead of the holidays.
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“If worse comes to worse, we’ll bring it to her,” Ryanne said.
The holiday season is nicknamed the season of giving, a time when we emphasize putting others first.
But for siblings Ryanne and Brody, it became a year-long mindset ever since their family’s lives were changed by cancer.
“I’m like, ‘Oh, it’s not gonna happen to me,’ or ‘It’s not gonna happen to anybody that I know,’ and then it happens,” Ryanne said.
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“I didn’t really know how to, like, express my feelings or what I was feeling,” Brody said.
At three years old, their little sister Lilly was diagnosed with leukemia. A once-thriving toddler was now in the fight for her young life.
“There was like, white spots in her brain that’s like, affecting, like, her learning process and how she acts and things,” Ryanne said. “She was laying down so much that she basically, like her body, basically forgot how to walk. So she had to learn to walk twice.”
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But with every hurdle, this family continued to be there for each other, even more so when cancer struck again three years later when their mom was diagnosed with breast cancer.
“When my little sister got diagnosed, I had to help out because my parents would be focused on helping Lily. So I’d have to help out, like, with my little brothers and, and then when my mom got cancer, it was harder for her to help out. So I had to step up again,” Brody said.
“It’s hard being around all this stuff, because I’m like, I don’t know how to react. I don’t know what to do,” Ryanne said.
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Two young teens, growing up faster than they should. But luckily, someone was always there for them.
“Jay Fund has helped our family a lot. They brought, like, cooked meals, stuff like that, to help our family while we were in tough times,” Brody said.
“It’s basically like a part of life at this point. Honestly, I don’t know what it would be like if we weren’t a part of the Jay Fund, we were going through all this,” Ryanne said.
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“We have this play set in our backyard that was for Lilly. At the time that we got it, my dad was deployed, so he couldn’t help. The Jay Fund sent the people to help build the play set for my little sister,” Ryanne said.
Both Lilly and mom are now in remission. While challenges and struggles are still ahead, this family knows someone will always be there for them.
“It’s good to see that there are good people that are willing to help out and be there for you,” Ryanne said.
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