Zak - Naya’s brother - turns 18 today. He’s a Valentine’s baby. He wrote about Naya in one of his college essays, and gave permission to publish this blog in honor of his sister, who would be very proud of her brother today.
A good friend lost his wife to cancer recently. I didn’t know Chelsea personally, but I knew her through the pictures she shared and powerful words she wrote. Chelsea reminded me a lot of Naya. Cameras had a way of capturing their joy. They both glowed in pictures, and you could feel their personality through the page and off the screen. Even though we never met, Chelsea left an impact on me, much like the impact Naya left on so many people she never met.
I try to find meaning in it all, but I have no answers. Jake was diagnosed with Medulloblastoma a few months after his second birthday. The same ugly disease that took Naya and so many other beautiful children. I suppose all of us think our children are special, but these kids who go through what they go through are beyond special. They almost seem immortal and maybe they are in some ways. We continue to share their story so that other children don’t have to go through what they went through.
The Senate failed to pass the STAR Act, delaying another year of progress in childhood cancer.
Logan is an athlete, great student and cancer survivor. She was also one of Naya's best friends. Here's her story.
