Meet Indie! Indie is 4, and her brother, River, is 6. Indie lives with mom, dad, and her brother. Her mom, Ashley, says Indie is very girly, she loves to dress up in princess dresses and put on play makeup. Indie and River play legos together, something they both enjoy. Ashley says she spends a good amount of time putting the sets together, so the creative siblings can take it all apart to “improve the designs.”

Indie’s diagnosis has been frightening for the whole family. For Indie, the fear comes out in nightmares that often involve blood. Ashley says this is likely related to the bloody noses Indie had right before they found out she had cancer. Indie also lost her grandfather (at only 53 years old) to brain cancer in December of 2020. She remembers him being sick and throwing up a lot before he passed away, and whenever she gets sick she gets scared.

The family drives 2.5 hours to get to the hospital for her treatment, which, along with medical bills has put a significant strain on resources and time. They are doing their best to give special attention to Indie’s brother, River, so he doesn’t feel like Indie is a higher priority.

When asked what advice they would give to other families with pediatric cancer, Ashley says,
“Let people help you! Don’t expect it, but accept it. People want to help and it’s actually robbing them of their joy of giving when you don’t let them. And even if you feel like you can do it all on your own, that’s not sustainable. We are in this for the long haul, and so is your support team.”

Learn more about how Candlelighters provides whole family support in the form of assistance and connecting, and opportunities to help families with childhood cancer.