Mary Kate was born on November 26, 2018 in Roseville, CA.  She was our 4th baby and brought our family endless joy and love.  When she was just 14 months old, we noticed her right eye was slightly droopy all of a sudden.  After multiple MRI's and a brain biopsy, she was diagnosed with ATRT.  This type of cancer is very rare and aggressive.  We also had genetic testing done and found out that she was missing the SMARCB-1 gene.  This is a tumor-suppressing gene. She started treatment very quickly that included 2 rounds of induction chemotherapy and 3 rounds of high dose chemotherapy with stem cell recovery.  She did incredible throughout her treatment.  She handled nausea and other side effects like a champion.  We have wonderful memories of our time in the hospital with her.  We were blessed with incredible nurses and doctors who made us feel like family and took exceptional care of our sweet Mary Kate.

Since the day God entrusted us with Mary Kate, she has brought us so much joy. Although her short life was filled with lots of hospital stays and appointments, we felt immensely blessed to be her parents. She showered us with beaming smiles, giggles, and sprinkled in many miracles along the way.  As her parents, we never wanted the focus of her life to be only on cancer. Her life was so much more than that. Her short, but full life was filled with  beautiful and happy memories. Our children loved playing and dancing with her. The Jackson 5 was Mary Kate’s favorite band. We hope that when you hear the song “ABC” by The Jackson 5, you will think of her and her contagious smile.  Some other favorites of Mary Kate’s were reading books, Miss Katie’s music class, and of course puppies.  Her all-time favorite movie was Air Buddies. 

God never promised all carefree days, without any struggle or pain. Instead, He has promised us that we will never be alone. He has promised us that in every season of brokenness, He would bring us hope, strength, and truth. We must hand over our lives to Him, ask that His will be done in our lives, and just like our mother Mary did, say “yes” to His plan. Blessed Solanus Casey once said, “death can be very beautiful, like a wedding, if we make it so.” We celebrate that Mary Kate is free of pain, and rejoice in the fact that she is with Our Father in Heaven. We are so thankful for God’s grace and love. We will continue to thank Him ahead of time and hope you do the same. 

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