When Bailey Cooper was just nine years old, doctors diagnosed him with Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma. His family was devastated, but they hoped he could beat it. Bailey stayed positive and cheerful throughout the treatments, and a few months after being diagnosed, doctors said that he was in remission.
Bailey went back to school and started to get back to being a normal little boy.
However, a few months later, he started to feel sick again. Doctors delivered the devastating news that the cancer was back and this time it was even more aggressive.
Bailey fought, and cancer went back into remission. The family hoped that this would be the last of it, but sadly, in the winter of the same year, it came back. This time, the doctors weren’t sure they could save him.
Bailey’s father Lee said,
“[The consultant] broke the news to us. It was late Stage Four, and it was even worse. It was very aggressive.”
Bailey was also devastated, but he had plans to beat it.
He wanted to meet his baby sister. His mom was pregnant and due soon. He said that he at least wanted to live long enough to meet her. The family prayed it would happen.
However, cancer had spread to all his organs and doctors said he might only have days or weeks to live. His baby sister wasn’t due to be born for a couple of months. Bailey managed to hang out long enough to meet her.
His parents even let him pick out her name.
He chose the name, Millie. He loved her and was so excited to see her, but in the midst of the excitement, his family could see that he was getting weaker. They knew it was only a matter of time before cancer took their son from them.
Bailey’s mother Rachel said,
“He hugged her and did everything an older brother would do — changed her, washed her, sang to her.”
The family prepared for the loss of their son. They called in all their close family members not long after Millie was born. Still, Bailey stayed brave. When his grandma cried and told him she wished she could take her place, he told her,
“That is really selfish Nan. You have grandchildren to take care of.”
Bailey continued to get worse and eventually, doctors told his parents that cancer has spread to his brain.
Bailey knew it was time to go and he bravely told his parents. He said,
“I want to stay, but it’s my time to go, to become her guardian angel.”
Bailey became unresponsive a few days later. The family stayed by his side in the hospital trying to make him comfortable during his last moments. His mom said,
“We sat there hour by hour, watching him slip away. We read him stories and listened to his favorite music. By 11:45 a.m. on Christmas Eve, we were by his bedside. We knew it was not going to be too long. We told him ‘It’s time to go Bailey. Stop.’”
The family is devastated, but they are also glad that their son no longer has to suffer.
His father said,
“We are numb, but in a way also happy he is no longer in pain.”
Before passing away, Bailey made one last selfless request. His mom explained,
“He told us in our last family meeting: ‘You’re only allowed to cry for 20 minutes. You have to take care of Riley and Millie.”
It’s been hard for the family to honor that request, but they are trying
They miss Bailey every day. Still, his legacy will live on forever. They will tell his baby sister how much he loved her and the special story of how he named her and hung on for so long just to meet her. While his parents will miss him every day, they know he is watching over them and his little sister.
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