Kailey, a four-year-old from Godfrey, Illinois, is the daughter of Amber and Joe Almeter. When Kailey was two she was diagnosed with a glioblastoma stage 4 Brain Tumor. Glioblastomas are responsible for the largest percentage of deaths for children with cancer. She has undergone chemotherapy, radiation, and two brain surgeries at St. Louis Children’s Hospital. However, her tumor still remains and has recently spread into her brain stem and all the way down into her spine. She currently is on a new clinical trial and continues to fight.
Unfortunately, she has lost most of her vision due to her tumor. Through great deal of perseverance, she is even learning her ABCs in braille and how to operate the braille writer. She can even name certain parts of the writer. Kailey has also recently started using a white cane, and she is learning all about the proper techniques with it this school year.
Even though Kailey has faced many challenges in her four short years, her family says she is always happy and smiling. She is the life of the party at school where she enjoys playing in the kitchen area, at home where she is a big sister, and at St. Louis Children’s Hospital where you can often find her dancing around and singing silly songs.