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At just 10 months old, our sweet Yara was diagnosed with Stage 3 Wilms tumor—a diagnosis that would forever change our family’s lives.

For months leading up to that moment, we knew something wasn’t right. There were unexplained illnesses, countless appointments, and visits with doctors who would reassure us to simply “monitor” her symptoms and send us home without clear answers. Yet, deep in our hearts, we couldn’t shake the feeling that something was being missed. We could feel a mass inside her abdomen. We knew what we were feeling, and as her parents, our intuition kept telling us that we needed to keep pushing.

Then came one more seemingly ordinary illness—a runny nose with no real explanation. But by that point, we were no longer willing to accept uncertainty. We went to the doctor determined that we were not leaving without answers. We needed someone to truly listen to us, to take our concerns seriously, and to feel what we had been feeling for so long.

That day, September 20, 2025, changed everything.

We were rushed to the hospital, where care providers discovered a 4-inch, 1.2-pound tumor that had completely consumed one of Yara’s kidneys. In an instant, the fears and questions we had carried for months had an answer no parent ever wants to hear: cancer.

Everything happened so quickly after that. Yara underwent surgery to remove the affected kidney and tumor. Thanks to the incredible team at Levine Children’s Hospital, her nephrectomy and tumor resection were successful. We will forever be grateful for the doctors, nurses, surgeons, and every member of her care team who fought alongside our baby girl and helped give her the chance to continue fighting.

After coming home to recover from such a major operation, Yara’s battle continued. She went on to endure six months of chemotherapy and radiation—treatments no child should ever have to experience, but which she faced with a strength and resilience that continues to amaze us every single day.

Today, Yara is nearly two years old. She has already endured more in her short life than most people will ever experience, yet somehow, she continues to fill our days with joy, laughter, love, and an incredible amount of light.

Recently, Yara received her first clear scan—one of many scans she will undergo over the next five years. Hearing the words “clear scan” is something we will never take for granted. After everything she has been through, that moment brought an overwhelming sense of gratitude, relief, and hope.

Her journey is not over. The next five years will bring continued scans, appointments, uncertainty, and moments that may test us in ways we cannot yet imagine. But today, we choose to focus on how far she has come. We choose hope. We choose gratitude. And above all, we choose to celebrate this incredible little girl who has shown us what strength truly looks like.

We are sharing Yara’s story not because this journey has been easy, but because we believe that even in the darkest moments, there can be light. We hope her story can bring comfort, encouragement, and hope to other families who are facing the unimaginable diagnosis of childhood cancer.

To every parent who feels in their heart that something isn’t right: trust your intuition. Keep asking questions. Keep advocating. You know your child better than anyone.

And to every family currently fighting this devastating disease, please know that you are not alone. There is hope beyond the fear, strength beyond the exhaustion, and light even in the darkest chapters.

This is Yara’s story—and we are so incredibly grateful that we get to keep writing it. ❤️