Born: December 23, 2006
Diagnosed: February 16, 2018
Died: August 22, 2018
– Funny – Courageous – Fearless – Fighter – Believer –
Mom, Michela, has this to say about Kaylan: “The memory that sticks out the most to show her personality is when we were told how bad the diagnosis was. She leaned it to me and said, Mom it is not my time. We will fight this. God will heal me.’”
Mom (Michela), Dad (Gaylan) and big brother, Josiah, say: “It is important that people hear our story so that it brings more awareness to this evil disease. Before 2/16/2018 We had never heard of it. We will fight this with all we have for our daughter and other kids.”
Kaylan Jean Ku’umomimakamae Haywood, known to family and friends as Momi Girl, was born on December 23, 2006. She was an energetic, spunky, faith driven young lady. When she was diagnosed with DIPG her words to me were “Don’t worry mom, God has got this. He know what he is doing and will bring me healing.” She was the Hawaii State Gymnastics vault champ and 2nd place all around just 3 months before she was diagnosed. She had such great faith in God. She was loved by so many and would friend anyone especially if they were alone or looked down. She loved to watch her brother play football, do gymnastics, make slime, do YouTube videos, go swimming, and most of all hang out with mom and her friends. She had 30 rounds of radiation and was able to go to Disney World thanks to Make A Wish Hawaii. After returning from Disney her tumor had shrunk by half but it rested on her respiratory nerve and also had to have a shunt put in.
After six month of hard fight believing God for a miracle her fight had come to its last weeks. She was surrounded by family, friends, and doctors and nurses that loved her so much those last two weeks of her fight. She passed away on August 22, 2018. We had talked about heaven and what she wanted for her services in those last days. We had a party for her at the hospital that last week. At her memorial service more than 200 people were there and her celebration of life and spreading of her ashes also over 150 people attended. It was amazing in her last days she wanted people to come to know Christ through her testimony and fight with DIPG and they did that weekend 6 young people came to know HIM. We are grateful to God for every moment he gave us with her. I pray that through this foundation a cure will be found.