Abilene parents keeping daughter's memory alive with foundation
ABILENE, Texas - The parents of Baylee Myers, the four-year-old Abilene girl who recently passed away after a nine-month battle with cancer, are now working to keep her memory alive and make a difference.
The playground at Red Bud Park is a special place for Baylee's parents. It was one of Baylee's favorite places to let loose and have fun.
In January, Baylee was diagnosed with a neuroblastoma, a rare form of childhood cancer.
Baylee beat her cancer, but ultimately passed away Sept. 13 at Cook Children's Medical Center in Fort Worth after complications from a rhinovirus.
"She held my hand until that last second," said Stephanie Myers, Baylee's mother. "They gave her medicine to knock her out so she wouldn't feel anything, and she didn't. Her face was perfectly peaceful but she held my hand until the last second, and then she let go."
Baylee's parents are starting the Baylee Faith Foundation to keep her memory alive and to raise awareness about childhood cancer.
"I miss her stories and the way she would just dance if anyone was watching if no one was watching," Stephanie said. "She just loved life, and she just wanted to live."
"It's been tough not having her right there," said Brian Myers, Baylee's father. "She was our little princess."
September was also designated Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.
"In her little nine months of that, she made a huge impact in the community and in our lives and in lots of people's lives, and she brought childhood cancer to be known about," Brian said.
They plan on holding events like dinners and golf tournaments in the future to raise money for cancer research and to help families going through what they've experienced.
"Thank you to everybody," Brian said. "We love this community. This community has shown their love to us."
"There [have] been people who've shared stories about what Baylee did to their lives even though they never met Baylee," Stephanie said. "So, for me, it gives me some peace that, yeah, I won't have her again here, but a piece of her has lived on in someone else."
You can find more information about the Baylee Faith Foundation here.
You can find out how to help the Myers family pay for medical expenses here.
