By Lori Bledsoe
The Alpine Sun
It was just over thirteen months ago when the plea went out to everyone to pray for Kylie, God’s littlest warrior. Kylie Elizabeth Rowand was diagnosed with stage 4 High Risk Neuroblastoma, on December 30, 2013, at the age of 19 months. The cry for support went out over social media, news media, email, and flyers,
By Lori Bledsoe
The Alpine Sun
It was just over thirteen months ago when the plea went out to everyone to pray for Kylie, God’s littlest warrior. Kylie Elizabeth Rowand was diagnosed with stage 4 High Risk Neuroblastoma, on December 30, 2013, at the age of 19 months. The cry for support went out over social media, news media, email, and flyers,
Alpine answered that plea, with specified days, tying pink ribbons around every post and tree that lined Alpine Boulevard. Signs were taped up, and Kylie’s picture appeared everywhere, in store windows, and in business windows. Prayers and more prayers were murmured, said, shared and sung for this little girl who was facing her life’s painful trial at such a young age.
At first, this was reported as a rare cancer, but in fact, Neuroblastoma is the most common extra cranial solid cancer in childhood, and it’s the most common cancer in infancy with an incidence of over six hundred a year in the United States, according to an article by Norman J. Lacayo for eMedicine. The first symptoms of this horrible disease are often vague, presenting as fatigue, loss of appetite, fever or joint pain.
Kylie’s diagnosis came just after Christmas, when her grandmother noticed her eye was swollen. This is a common symptom where the tumors are present in the bones around the eyes or orbits that cause distinct bruising and swelling. Kylie’s family was devastated, but they proceeded with faith, asking for prayers for their little baby.
The news about Kylie’s diagnosis came only months after the news of another child in Lakeside, California who was diagnosed with this frightening illness. Parker Shaw was diagnosed with Stage 4 Neuroblastoma when he was six years old in 2013, after his parents thought that he was suffering from an injury he sustained while playing.
A Facebook page was created for Kylie, entitled, Prayers for Kylie, God’s littlest warrior. In one day, over 700 people were praying for Kylie. And now that page includes just under 100,000 likes from people who have followed Kylie’s progress from the very first day that she started her treatments, through every transfusion, surgery and chemo-therapy session praying for her. This brave little girl, in her short little life, suffered tremendously, but she also touched so many’s hearts just by her fortitude and through Facebook, when Kylie smiled, the world smiled.
Kylie’s parents, Bree and Luke Rowand’s lives changed completely. Their focus in life switched from their daily lives in Alpine, to an all out courageous assault on a disease that was attacking their little angel. Their love for their child took them to New York, where they relocated for Kylie’s constant treatment, but Kylie’s mother, Bree, updated friends and family regularly with photos, and movie clips, and her faith was prevalent with every request to keep praying for her baby. For them, No journey was too great to get her the care and medical attention she needs.
Kylie’s treatment was vigorous, and aggressive, her parents and her doctors seemed to try everything to save her life. By January 6, 2014, Kylie already had surgery and was starting chemotherapy. She became Alpine’s face for Neuroblastoma awareness. Her journey through the world of cancer was riddled with so much, but with each treatment her resilience was assurance of her will to keep fighting.
Joseph Vanderbilt, the founder of Alpine Youth Group said that Kylie is a reason for people to pray again. He was right. Because of Kylie, the word prayer has been said over and over, and though she ended her battle with cancer on February 7th, 2015, this small child brought many to prayer.
It is impossible to know what one’s mission is in life, and some may never discover why hardships befall them. But Kylie will always be a symbol of love and perseverance even through the greatest pain. A shared caring that connected almost 100,000 people came into being, and awareness has grown for the love of this child. Kylie, Alpine will never know what you would have accomplished in a long life, but we know that in your short time here on Earth, you brought a community to their knees.
There will be a celebration of the beautiful life of Kylie Elizabeth Rowand.
Where: Shadow Mountain Community Church, 2100 Greenfield Drive, El Cajon, CA 92019, Date: February 14, 2015Time: 10am- 12pm
