By Siji Oyewusi
Over the last few months, Kylie’s case spread over social media and caught the eyes of many as they were touched by the late girl’s sad story.
Kylie Elizabeth Rowand was born at 6:48am on May 11, 2012 to Bree and Luke Rowand.
Bree was a gymnast for many years before she went to live in Alpine with her husband, Luke. It was an emotional and tearful arrival for the lovebirds when their daughter arrived and the parents must have envisaged the beautiful memories she would bring to their lives.
Little, did they know that her time on earth was going to be so short and their little beautiful daughter would go through so much pain.
After going through moments of anguish and unending visits to the hospital following her diagnosis last December, a post on January 20, 2015 by the parents reads: ‘Kylie’s CT came back normal! We are all so happy! The shunt they thought she would need possibly forever, is no longer needed! Thank you, Jesus! And thank you for all the prayers!’
Days after that, another post came from the mother saying: ‘I am not sure I will have the right words at this moment. My mind is in a fog, my stomach in knots, and my heart is broken. This week marks one year since Kylie and I got to sleep in our own beds in our own home. And in this year, we have spent every second of every minute together, ferociously fighting an incurable disease that will soon take her life. Kylie’s CT scan showed that her liver is extremely large and full of disease. The cancer is starting to take over. At this point there is not much more we can do. She is in an excruciating amount of pain, it’s hard for her to breath and there is no way to stop the liver from getting any bigger. We are still continuing the BRAF drug, but it’s only going to buy us time. Neuroblastoma is the most aggressive of the pediatric cancers and once its starts to take over there is no stopping it. Doctors are giving her a couple weeks if that. We are going to keep Kylie here in the hospital where we feel would be most comfortable for her and will give Luke and I the most time possible we can with her.’
The young parents had been through a lot and the little girl had suffered too much. On Saturday, February 7th, 2015 at 10:19 am Kylie Elizabeth departed the world, forever relieved of the pain, torture, sleeplessness and breathless moments. And though now gone, hers is a story of inspiration that will continue to touch many across the world.
