Ryleigh Perseveres, Ocala, FL (2026)

06/26/2023

Ryleigh is 1 year NED!!!! 1 year of all clear scans!!!! It’s such a huge milestone for our family! Released from physical therapy and healing and growing incredibly!!! We’re blessed! She had a rough start at the hospital, but it ended with great news followed by spending time with her bestie at the river! Now they get the week with their gram gram!!! I’m so proud of her and the strength she has! 💕💕

09/08/2022

This girl braved another day of pokes and scans. She had her 3 month follow up scan today. Rough start with placing an IV. She enjoyed her few months not dealing with this and it wasn’t easy getting back into it. Tomorrow she will be having her final surgery to get the port removed. Then, another 3 months just being a kid.

08/08/2022

Some pics from the Live Like Larry event! Thank you 💪

!!!!!!

08/08/2022

Last, but certainly not least thank you to this team for taking care of Ryleigh. Her favorite nurse that she had at the very beginning discharged her on her last day of chemo. We’re grateful for most of the nurses that took care of Ryleigh. She had a few favs, but Priscilla really stood out because she took the time out to play with her even when she was busy and training a new nurse. She has followed Ryleighs journey since the beginning and there is just this unspoken bond. David cannot go without being mentioned because he always came in and joked and played with Ryleigh. She always perked up when he was working a shift and he never treated her like she was sick or to weak to pick on. The bond they built is incredibly amazing and special congrats to him to be graduating soon and becoming a nurse himself. I know he’s going to be a one of a kind nurse. KP the nurse practitioner was extremely amazing keeping up with Ryleigh week after week and always being a few steps ahead. I know this is their jobs, but they stand out to me because they always went above and beyond. I witnessed some very disturbing and disheartening situations in the medical field between Ryleighs personal situations and in my own career. I witnessed first hand just how messed up the medical field really is, so when someone stays on top of their game and takes the extra step it never goes unnoticed. Y’all please advocate for yourselves and be aware of what’s going on around you.

08/08/2022

More photos!!!

Shout out to Mitch for being the best big brother to Ryleigh throughout all of this. He sacrificed two birthdays for her and didn’t complain one time! He spent his 12th birthday at the hospital. We’re just thankful Sacred Heart allowed him to be there because Shands still doesn’t allow siblings to visit. It’s very unfortunate.

08/08/2022

I’ve been waiting to update everyone when we found out Ryleighs surgery date to get her port out, but it’s taking a bit to get that set. Ryleigh is doing well and her final scans were all clear. 🙌 She chose to go back to school and is very excited about it. I decided to share some photos from the last year you may or may not have already seen. FB will only let me load 80, so I’ll make another post with the rest.
The past few years have been the biggest rollercoaster ride of our lives. Ryleigh has fought a fight I never imagined I would see my child go through. Moving forward scares me because now every complaint alarms me. Ryleigh has been left with some issues in her feet and hands, but I am confident with time it will get better. Deep down I know chemo can leave long term effects and I can’t help but worry.
We’re extremely grateful for everyone that has supported us over the last couple of years. While, a lot of you know Ryleighs story you all may not know a year before Ryleigh was diagnosed her dad went through a double transplant surgery. I guess what I’m trying to say is we have endured a massive amount of love from so many people for quite a few years now. I cannot even begin to say how thankful we are. Sometimes I just sit there and think how did we do this and I know we couldn’t have without y’all and the Lord above.
Dawn, Granny, Holly, and Ben thank you all for being there from the very beginning to take Mitch in as your own at a drop of a dime when Ryleigh was first diagnosed. Y’all not only took him in and loved him, but y’all homeschooled him through the entire Covid mess.
Thank you Jen and Jim for providing your home, feeding us, helping us move and doing so many sweet things to make Ryleigh and Mitch feel loved. We made great memories with y’all and we will cherish them forever!
Thank you Nicole and Ricky for putting up with us the past couple years crashing your house and your tiny home. For feeding us, including us on family outings, following us to Crestview and Jacksonville and loving us even when we were distant and just trying to make it from one day to another. It’s hard to be friends with busy lives much less from so far away and with all that has been going on.
I want to thank our old baseball community again and the kids old school, Redeemer Christian School. Thank you to the entire Ocala community because every single one of you loved us even when you didn’t know us very well. Sent pictures, things for Ryleigh to do, and even donated when times were hard for everyone.
I want to thank you Jessica Spaulding and her family and friends for supporting Ryleigh and Mitchell at Christmas last year. The kids had the best Christmas because of y’all! The gas and food gift cards got us through the next few months traveling back and forth.
Thank you to their MiMi for being there for us from a distance as well and listening to me even after going weeks without talking. I tend to close up when I’m stressed and I’m so thankful that I do have people in my life that don’t take that personally and love me anyways. Thank you to her Sunday school class for all of the sweet cards and donations that also helped so much. So many sweet sweet cards that made Ryleigh feel very loved!
Thank you Larry for always being a steady in Ryleighs life she looked forward to your cards every few weeks. Especially with her being home so much getting a little something in the mail always gave her something to look forward to.
Thank you more than ever grandma for being here with Ryleigh, so we could work when we were able to. Thank you for staying with Mitch during treatment weeks and unexpected hospital visits. We will miss you.
Big thank you to our jobs and coworkers for being supportive the past year throughout all of this!
Ryleigh just got back from a fundraising event in Jacksonville. It was sort of bittersweet as we spent a few weeks there exactly a year ago for Ryleighs radiation therapy. It’s such a beautiful community there and considering the circumstances we really enjoyed ourselves on the good days getting to explore the history in that very large town. So many great free things to go and explore as a family. The Ronald McDonald house there is probably the best one to even exist. We couldn’t even stay at the Gainesville one because of Covid rules. We felt at home even though were so far away.
The fundraising event left me speechless to be honest. It was totally not expected at all and we’re so grateful to have been apart of the Live like Larry/Hobbs Strong community. It was great to see Ryleigh brush off her little bit of shyness and totally embrace the entire day and have fun. It was a true celebration of life for Larry and felt like a true celebration of end of chemo for Ryleigh. Everyone at sliders was so awesome, the entire community, volunteers, Cathy, the singing, everyone, and everything was just awesome. Special thank you to Pam for letting my loud kids crash your place and mentioning Ryleigh as a child to be sponsored.
We have had communities from Ocala to the panhandle to Bama and right back to Jacksonville love and support Ryleigh. It’s completely unimaginable.
If I didn’t mention you please do not take offense there has been more people there for us than I can really even mention. There really is no way I can even thank you all. I do thank you all though since the very very beginning. We never expected this to happen once much less twice and all we can ask for is that Ryleigh keeps getting stronger every single day and we have clear scans for the rest of her life.

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05/21/2022

Hopefully, this is Ryleighs last ER admission for neutropenic fever. While, looking at her the other night in the stretcher it took me back to the very beginning of all of this and how much it has changed my child. It has both changed her physically and mentally.

Since, day 1 even before chemo started I watched her body change from such a healthy little girl to being broken down little by little each day from surgery and being malnourished basically for months. Then, witnessing the chemo break her down from the inside out. It’s affected her hands, her feet, it’s completely changed the way she walks. Everytime, she is admitted into the hospital it’s due to the attack on her bone marrow. She has so much healing ahead of her. It’s been torturous to me to watch over the last couple of years.

Gradually, I have watched how this has affected her mentally. She has had so many highs and lows that I won’t go into great detail about. There was a point I worried for her and her mental state. Everyone we know has always seen Ryleigh with a big smile and full of energy, but she’s really good at being strong. Being strong comes with a price. I know deep down in her she is hurting. She is tired. She is fed up. One thing she won’t do is give up!

She makes it known to almost everyone now that “she’s sassy”. She’s sassy and she knows it. While, this has broken her down in more ways than one this has made her aware of her own body, her own confidence, her own self awareness, and most of all her worth!! Every piece of growth we go through in life comes with a price. This girl has paid a huge price to grow in a way that is so grand. That is worth a million bucks! No one can ever tell her she’s less than. No one! She has worn her crown for so long that if what she has gone through now can’t knock that thing off. I don’t believe anything or anyone can! I’m so proud of my baby.

I’m so proud that she can still sit there with a smile on even after all the pain she has been through. She’s one of a kind to me and I’m lucky to be her mama.

Let’s not forget our babies are

Pediatric cancer is on the rise and I want to know why!!!!!

05/15/2022

I received the best Mothers Day gift this year!! Ryleigh rang the bell this week to conclude her chemotherapy treatments. After a long 11 months she has finished out her treatment plan. What felt like the impossible, she made possible. She has persevered through every aspect of these last 2 years. Words cannot even describe the ups and downs this child has gone through.

No child should ever have to experience this. Not only once, but twice.… it sure can take away a little bit of hope, but Ryleigh rang this bell before end of chemo scans. She will complete her scans in about 3 weeks and then at her 3 month scan follow up have her port removed. This is it y’all! We’re speaking it into existence. She IS DONE!

I truly believe this was one of the happiest days of her life. To have walked out of that hospital knowing she won’t go back for anymore chemo. That she can begin to look forward to the next day to come and truly start healing.

PEACE OUT CHEMO!!!!!! ✌️

Sincerely,

Ryleigh Kate
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03/08/2022

Yesterday, Ryleigh was suppose to be admitted into the hospital for a week of chemotherapy and she did not meet counts to proceed with treatment. We decided to hang around another night and do labs again today. Well she passed and not just by a few points. Her neutrophils literally spiked over night.
As we’re lugging everything into the room Hunter Wright says to Ryleigh this is the first room you were ever in. Then, I realize this is not only the first room she stayed in, but it’s also been exactly two years since Ryleigh was first diagnosed.
This is not exactly how I thought her two year mark would be…Not even close…
These are just a few pictures along the way, since first diagnosis, surgeries, remission, relapse, and now. I always knew it could be a possibility, but you’re told how well Wilms responds and she was low risk. People say if you’re going to get cancer this is the one to have, but my baby has been through it and then some. Just as all of these children have. NO ONE truly sees the struggles she goes through and has gone through. This cancer caused my child to not go through one treatment plan, but two! It caused her to have not one surgery, but 3 surgeries plus GJ tube removal, port removal, and an endoscopy. More pokes in her chest and arm than I can count. Numerous blood and platelet transfusions. Weeks without food. It’s caused her to be isolated from others and not enjoy a lot of things she truly enjoys. It has interrupted her childhood for 2 longgg years. Yes, she’s happy… Yes, she’s loved… Yes, she’s alive… Yes, she’s nearing the end of treatment, but what has left scars… not just physically on her body, but mentally. It’s changed her and her family in a way that I can’t explain.
So, here’s to exactly two years and being right back in the same spot. Much stronger and wiser though. The word cancer not being such a foreign word and everyone at the facility not such a stranger. In some weird way it has become our second home.

02/14/2022

So glad to see her with such a strong appetite this morning. Day 1 of 5. Hoping for a good week. Wow is she getting so big! 🥰

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01/24/2022

Quick update on Ryleigh:

Ryleigh has started to experience some delays in her treatment due to chemotherapy. Her hemoglobin, platelets, and neutrophils (immunity) bottomed out the worst we ever seen a couple of weeks ago. She had to have multiple transfusions and two unexpected hospital stay/visit. She seems to be hitting that point in treatment where her body has just had enough.
Today, Ryleigh is able to get back on track with her treatment, since her counts have recovered. It’s another hard chemo round, so we’re nervous about what will happen this time. Just trying to stay positive for her. It’s a weird thing to hope your child is well enough for her chemo and at the same time not want her to get the poison to begin with.

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Ryleigh Perseveres

06/26/2023

09/08/2022

08/08/2022

08/08/2022

08/08/2022

08/08/2022

05/21/2022

05/15/2022

03/08/2022

02/14/2022

01/24/2022

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