Meet the incredible young women whose GLO Day transformed more than their look. It reignited their confidence, joy and dreams.
My name is Lily Cain. In April 2020 I was diagnosed with stage 2 Hodgkins Lymphoma. Throughout the COVID quarantine, I had been feeling overly fatigued and was getting sharp chest pains. As a 16-year-old, I thought nothing of it. Until I found a large lump on the left side of my neck that wouldn't go away. After multiple doctor's visits, scans and surgeries, I was diagnosed. I started my first round of chemotherapy treatment on May 11, 2020. Throughout that summer I underwent four rounds of intensive chemotherapy. After my second round of chemotherapy, scans revealed that my body was responding well to the treatment. There were no signs of any cancer modules left! After finishing my last two rounds, I was declared cancer-free on August 4th, 2020!
I was diagnosed with osteosarcoma of the right proximal tibia back in March. Prior to my diagnosis I was having a lot of knee pain that was inconsistent for months. Getting the cancer diagnosis was very unexpected. I had chemotherapy for 10 weeks and then I had my Rotationplasty surgery in May. Rotationplasty is when they take the middle part of your leg out and turn your tibia and foot 180 degrees and then reattach it to your femur. After a short break I did about 20 more weeks of chemotherapy. Last week on the 20th I was able to ring the bell for no more chemotherapy! I still have a long road ahead of scans, appointments, PT, and relearning to walk and drive but I'm thankful to be where I am today.
A friend recommended my daughter, Audrey, for the GLO program. I didn't know much about it, but after my first phone call with Carly, I knew it was going to be an amazing experience that we would never forget. Cancer tries to take away your voice. It tries to take away your light. GLO gives that back to the participants.
I am so grateful for the experience and the pictures. On the day of the shoot, Audrey felt special. The whole day was about her and what she liked. It wasn't about cancer, doctors, and appointments. She could be herself. Her beautiful smile came out.
The pictures captured a moment in time. Audrey was so sick. I look back on that time fondly now, not something I thought was possible at the time. Because even at the worst time in Audrey's cancer journey, she pushed through and didn't let it get her down. The pictures show that. It shows her spirit. It shows her smile. It shows her determination. It's amazing to look at the pictures now and see how much she has changed on the outside and the inside.
The pictures help us remember a moment in time. If we choose to forget that trying time, we let cancer win. We will always remember and we will always fight to let kids, especially girls, battling cancer have their light GLO!
In December 2022 I was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma. I went through 40 weeks of chemotherapy and 33 radiation treatments. October of 2023 they found that the tumor was gone so I was placed in remission. May of 2024 I had gotten my scans done but they had found something on my lung so I got that biopsy to see what it was and turns out it was another cancer spot. I’m now doing 8 cycles of chemotherapy and more radiation at the end of the cycles.
On Labor Day weekend 2020, 9-year-old Brooklyn was hit with another migraine. After an ER visit and worsening symptoms, she collapsed and was rushed to Nationwide Children’s Hospital.
A scan revealed a rare brain tumor - craniopharyngioma. Emergency surgery placed a drain, and 10 days later, a 12-hour surgery through her nose removed the tumor. Though doctors achieved a full resection, her pituitary stalk was severed, leaving her with adrenal insufficiency, diabetes insipidus, and panhypopituitarism.
She now requires lifelong hormone replacement - without cortisol, even a cold can trigger a life-threatening crisis. After 30 days in the hospital, Brooklyn began regular scans. When growth hormone therapy caused concern for regrowth, it was paused, then resumed once scans stabilized. But by fall 2023, doctors recommended another surgery. A second opinion from St. Jude led to two months of proton therapy.
For months the tumor grew slightly, but one year post-treatment, it finally began to shrink. Now 14, Brooklyn is thriving - smart, kind, and active. She loves art, swimming, friends, and just started her first job at Chick-fil-A. She continues scans every 4-6 months.
Violet was diagnosed with Choroid Plexus Carcinoma at just 16 months old. She underwent a 16 hour craniotomy. Shortly after she began a long aggressive chemo journey. During chemo she was bathed every 6 hours for chemical burns due to the harsh drugs, and was in an airlock room, due to her lack of immune system caused by chemo. She also went thru 3 stem cell transplants.
Violet is a smart, creative sweet girl. Despite everything she has been thru she is optimistic and kind. She adores her family, live music, reading books and wants to be an author someday. Although we are very grateful for her survivorship she has tremendous, terrible long term side effects from the chemotherapy. We are so grateful for her experience with GLO, it has meant so much to her.
Maelée was born Feb. 23, 2015. The night before she turned 4 months old, she began screaming in pain. She was eventually sent to Nationwide Children’s Hospital, where cans revealed she wasn’t emptying her bladder, causing dangerous urine retention and kidney swelling. Further testing showed a mass at the base of her spine obstructing nerve signals to her bladder and rectum. At just 4 months old, Maelée was diagnosed with a malignant sacrococcygeal teratoma.
That July, Maelée had her first tumor resection surgery, removing the tumor and her coccyx, followed by 2.5 weeks in the hospital. Pathology confirmed an immature teratoma with malignant germ cell components. She began three rounds of chemotherapy in Aug. 2015, completing them that September.
By Jan. 2016, scans revealed four new pelvic masses—her first relapse. A second surgery confirmed one malignant tumor. Maelée began an intensive 42-week, 14-round chemotherapy regimen. Over 18 months, she bravely endured surgeries, infections, transfusions and hospital stays—earning her the title of warrior princess.
On Nov. 18, 2016, Maelée rang the bell—cancer free! In June 2022, she graduated to Survivorship, and only annual follow-ups. She continues lifelong monitoring to watch for recurrence or late effects of treatment.
