Girl whose heartbreaking photo beside devastated grandfather went viral, dies from cancer
A little girl, whose battle with brain cancer broke hearts across the globe when a picture of her distraught grandfather at her hospital bedside went viral, has sadly lost her battle.
Early last month Braylynn Lawhon was diagnosed with Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG), an aggressive and incurable form of brain cancer, one week before her fifth birthday.
At the time, the family of the little “warrior princess” was told she could live for a year, but on January 6 she tragically entered hospice following complications.
Braylynn's family shared updates about her battle against the disease on Facebook, including posting a devastating picture of her grief-stricken grandfather Sean Peterson breaking down in tears beside her hospital bed on January 7.
Her mother Ally Parker said the picture was taken “just to capture a memory - to remind myself that this was real and it was happening”, but it was shared worldwide, moving so many.
“Our sweet Braylynn, our warrior princess, earned her sparkly pink angel wings this evening,” the family wrote on their tribute page on Tuesday, announcing the child’s passing.
“Her nickname was Princess Bel and she could light up any room. She loved Hello Kitty and her birthday was December 10.
“She was a princess with the strength of a warrior and she will NEVER be forgotten,” the little girl’s family said.
In early December, Braylynn’s family set up a GoFundMe page, hoping to raise enough money to travel from their home in Florida, US, to North Carolina for experimental treatment.
They raised almost $80,000, which will instead be used for research into the rare disease and to support other families.
“The donations will go to planning her funeral and to other families fighting this disease and some of it will be going to research to help find a cure,” her family said.
“We do not wish this pain upon anyone. We may not be able to bring her back, but she may be able to help other babies from dying in the future.”
