A nine-year-old boy with stage 4 cancer met his newborn sister, and just days later, his parents looked over and gasped.
Doctors had told the family that Bailey Cooper didn’t have much time to live—maybe only a few weeks or even days. But against all odds, Bailey held on long enough to meet his little sister and give her a name.
Bailey was first diagnosed in 2016. What doctors thought was a simple viral infection turned out to be non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a rare cancer that affects the network of blood vessels and glands in the body. By the time Bailey was diagnosed, the cancer was already stage three. For more than 15 months, Bailey and his family went through an emotional rollercoaster.
For a while, the cancer went into remission. But during a family vacation, the doctors called with heartbreaking news: the cancer had returned.
“The doctors tried everything and told us that the long-term effects will last for the rest of his life, even if he survives,” said his father, Lee.
Bailey’s family and doctors did everything they could, including a stem cell transplant. Through it all, Bailey smiled through every treatment. Sadly, the cancer was too strong, and doctors said the nine-year-old boy only had days or weeks left to live.
But they hadn’t counted on Bailey’s determination to meet his youngest sibling.
Bailey’s mother, Rachel, was pregnant, and Bailey made it clear he wasn’t going anywhere until he met his baby sister. Doctors didn’t think he would survive long enough to see her born. But when Rachel gave birth in November, Bailey defied the odds and was there to meet her.
This brave boy with cancer showed incredible love and strength in his final days.