The family of a boy named Bailey Cooper received the most devastating news a parent can ever hear. Their son had cancer. The sweet boy was diagnosed with Stage 3 Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma in 2016.
All of a sudden, his entire life was all about treatments and doctor visits.
Everyone hoped for the best outcome, and for a short period of time, that’s exactly what they got. The cancer went into remission, but that didn’t last long.
Bailey got back to school and everything seemed normal when the family was told that the cancer returned. Sadly, it meant more rounds of chemo and hospital visits. Again, the treatments seemed to work and Bailey started feeling better.
Unfortunately, in August, came the heartbreaking blow: the cancer had returned yet again, and this time the prognosis was grim.
“[The consultant] broke the news to us,” said Bailey’s father, Lee. “It was late Stage Four, and it was even worse. It was very aggressive.”
The cancer had spread quickly. Doctors found lumps in Bailey’s chest, lungs, liver, and stomach. They gave him days, maybe weeks, to live.
When he was told the heartbreaking news, Bailey was devastated, but he was also determined to live to meet his baby sister, who was due a few months later. Everyone prayed he would make it that long.
Amazingly, the little boy proved to be a fighter. In November, he got to hold his newborn sister in his arms. His parents even let him choose her name: Millie.
The family of a boy named Bailey Cooper received the most devastating news a parent can ever hear. Their son had cancer. The sweet boy was diagnosed with Stage 3 Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma in 2016.
All of a sudden, his entire life was all about treatments and doctor visits.
Everyone hoped for the best outcome, and for a short period of time, that’s exactly what they got. The cancer went into remission, but that didn’t last long.
Bailey got back to school and everything seemed normal when the family was told that the cancer returned. Sadly, it meant more rounds of chemo and hospital visits. Again, the treatments seemed to work and Bailey started feeling better.
Unfortunately, in August, came the heartbreaking blow: the cancer had returned yet again, and this time the prognosis was grim.
“[The consultant] broke the news to us,” said Bailey’s father, Lee. “It was late Stage Four, and it was even worse. It was very aggressive.”
The cancer had spread quickly. Doctors found lumps in Bailey’s chest, lungs, liver, and stomach. They gave him days, maybe weeks, to live.
When he was told the heartbreaking news, Bailey was devastated, but he was also determined to live to meet his baby sister, who was due a few months later. Everyone prayed he would make it that long.
Amazingly, the little boy proved to be a fighter. In November, he got to hold his newborn sister in his arms. His parents even let him choose her name: Millie.
When the cancer reached Bailey’s brain he enduring five painful days of radiotherapy.That’s when he told his family that it was time for him to go.
“I want to stay but it’s my time to go, to become her guardian angel,” Bailey said, speaking of his baby sister.
On December 22, Bailey became unresponsive as the cancer took over his tiny body. His family stayed by his side as he slowly slipped away.
“We sat there hour by hour, watching him slip away,” Rachel said. “We read him stories and listened to his favorite music.
“By 11:45 a.m. on Christmas Eve, we were by his bedside. We knew it was not going to be long. We told him ‘It’s time to go Bailey. Stop.
