Zoey Catherine Daggett was born as a perfectly healthy child. Her vibrant personality made everyone love her, and her smiling face would always trigger even more smiles at people who ever met her.
This incredible little girl didn’t lose any of her energetic spirit even during the worst times of her short life. One day, as the family was at a playground in Fairport, New York, Zoey fell. Suddenly, she experienced difficulties walking and started limping. Her mom and dad, Casey and Ben, rushed her to the hospital as they both assumed she had a fracture. Unfortunately, they received the worst news any parent could ever hear. Zoey had DIPG, a rare and aggressive brain tumor which wasn’t operable.
Doctors told her parents that children suffering from this type of tumor are given between 6 to 18 months to live.
”We didn’t know what to do, where to go. We were told it’s pretty much a death sentence,” mother Casey told Daily Mail.
Despite the pain that filled their hearts, Ben and Casey decided to make their daughter’s last days fun. They spent every minute of every day by her side because they were aware she won’t be around much longer.
Zoey was forced to undergo a number of treatments. When the family learned of a hospital in Germany which offers radiation to people with DIPG, they took her there. The money needed were raised in no time, and Zoey seemed to respond good to the therapy. But then, all of a sudden, she started feeling even worse than before.
The beautiful little girl which brought so much joy in so many lives passed away on July 4, 2018.
Mom Casey decided to share plenty of photos of her daughter on her Facebook page. She had seen other people who lost children do that, and although she believed she should keep those memories for herself, she still decided to share her daughter’s story.
“I shared it because even though it’s a painful moment, it’s a beautiful moment in our eyes,” Casey told Daily Mail. ”I had seen a handful of families sharing moments and originally I didn’t think I was going to share it. ‘But I thought: “I want a photo like that taken”. I want those moments captured so I can remember them forever even when my brain is gone.”
The photo Casey posted shows mom and dad with their arms around their precious daughter.
They spent that last day singing Disney songs and watching Harry Potter movies. But then, in the middle of the film, Zoey’s little heart stopped beating.
The family started the Facebook page Zoey’s Light because they wanted to spread the love, hope, and light Zoey gave to everyone who was part of her life.
Life can be cruel sometimes, and there is nothing worse than a parent losing a child. We hope the family stays strong because we know that no matter how much time passes by, the pain will never fade away.
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