Markayla Ray

Hello, my name is Angela and I would like to tell you about my beautiful daughter Kayla. Kayla was a fighter. She battled bravely against epilepsy since the age of one. She was diagnosed with cranial pharyngioma in February 2011 just a few weeks shy of her 3rd birthday. She actually spent her birthday at VCU Children’s Hospital in the Pediatric ICU after having her first brain tumor removal surgery. She also had to visit them in October of the same year to have another tumor removed that was found just 3 months after the first one. With this surgery she also endured a stroke. She was the sweetest girl anyone ever knew and loved everyone. Her smile could light up the darkest room and melt any heart. She was her sister’s best friend and her sister was her best friend. She had a way of convincing almost anyone to do anything she wanted, even giving her something to drink when her fluids were restricted. No one could resist her persistence. She brought joy, laughter, and hugs to any and everyone.
Kayla also became a 5 year Junior Member of the American Legion earlier this year.
She went through physical and occupational therapy for close to year. She was able to then run around and play with the other kids. She did have a slight case of apraxia as well which made her so mad sometimes because she knew what she wanted to say but the connection within her brain that told her what she wanted to say wasn’t quite communicating right with the part of her brain that allowed her to verbalize it.
Early March 31, 2013 (Easter Morning) she was found in bed having a seizure. No one knew how long she had been seizing. She was taken by ambulance once again to what seemed like her second home, VCU Hospital. They tried for 2 days to get the seizure to stop but they were unsuccessful. There was significant brain damage from her brain being deprived of oxygen. On April 2, 2013, my parents and I as a family decided to let her go be in heaven with her daddy who passed away when she and her sister, Mari, were babies. She gained her angel wings in my arms and was surrounded by everyone who loved her. It seemed only fitting that since I was the one to hold her when she took her first breaths that I should be the one holding her when she took her last breaths.
Thank you for allowing me to share Kayla’s story with you all! We need to come together to try to find a cure!!!