Lighting the Way – One local girl beats leukemia and keeps fighting toward the cure

It’s the diagnosis no parent ever wants to hear.  But two days before Kylie Branch’s second birthday, her parents stared at the doctors in shock.  What was T-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL)?  Was Kylie going to make it?  Would she need chemotherapy?  Questions raced through the minds and hearts of Kyle Branch and Katie Hiller.  They felt scared, alone and lost.  They were going to need more than a village to get through this – they needed all the help they could get.
In the days and months following, Kylie underwent treatment, including chemotherapy to fight ALL, an aggressive form of blood cancer.  With the help of friends, family, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, Kylie began the fight of her very young life.
“I spent a lot of time at my hospital getting medicine to make my body better,” Kylie said.  “It was really hard work.  I got poked all the time, and they gave me lots of blood to keep my body working.”
But they kept fighting.  As most storms, things got worse before they got better.
“At one point, my body almost stopped working, but the doctors helped save me,” Kylie said.
And save her, they did. In November 2015, Kylie officially went into remission.  This year, as Light the Night walkers gather round, they will be invited to celebrate Kylie’s first year cancer free.  But the fight isn’t over.
The cancer still has a presence in Kylie’s life, as she will continue chemotherapy treatments until summer 2017.  In addition, Kylie undergoes weekly physical therapy sessions since the side effects of treatment include pain and weakness in her limbs.
“The medicines that saved me also hurt my body, too,” Kylie says.  “It hurt my legs and feet, so it’s hard for me to walk sometimes.  That’s why my mommy wants to raise lots of money, so one day we can find better medicines to save people without hurting them.”
As Kylie and her family ready for a cancer-free Light the Night this year, they ask: “Will you raise money with me?”
The Light The Night Walk campaign was created as a way for millions across the nation to come together in more than 180 locations to take a stand and fundraise for a cure.  The yearlong efforts of each team culminate in an inspirational, memorable evening walk, during which participants carry illuminated lanterns: white for survivors, red for supporters, and gold in memory of loved ones lost to cancer.
This year, the Santa Clarita Walk will be held on November 5 at Bridgeport Park in Valencia.  With more than 1,000 participants from all walks of life uniting for one experience, it is quite a night to remember.

About LLS
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) is the largest voluntary health organization dedicated to funding research, finding cures and ensuring access to treatments for blood cancer patients.  Since 1949, LLS has been on the forefront of blood cancer advances such as chemotherapies and stem cell transplantation leading the way to the targeted therapies and immunotherapies that are saving thousands of lives today.  LLS is changing the landscape of cancer with more than 300 active research projects that explore different avenues of new and adventurous research; ones with promise and ones that will save lives not someday, but today.
To become part of the Light The Night family, contact the California Southland Chapter at 310-342-5800 or visit lightthenight.org/calso to learn more and register today. 

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