When 11-year old Kayla Goeringer, a student at Everest Academy, began having swelling in her ankle two years ago, she thought it was nothing more than a bump.
Soon after, she was diagnosed with a rare bone cancer, Ewing’s Sarcoma. Goeringer spent the next eight months going through chemotherapy and radiation treatments. She also spent two months in Florida for recovery and physical therapy.
Local non-profit organization, A Space 2 Dream, heard of the struggles the Goeringer family was going through and set out to help. The team decorated her room with a Paris and high-fashion theme to match Kayla’s dream of becoming a fashion designer. Kayla and her parents, David and Karen Goeringer, were surprised with over 400 balloons on their front lawn.
‘When I saw it, it was a dream come true. It made it all worth the fighting to have a cool room like that. It was a lot of fun to see that,? said Kayla.
Kayla’s room was painted her favorite shade of pink with the Eiffel Tower painted on the wall. The words ‘ooh la la? and ‘bonjour? highlight the room’s Paris theme. AS2D also put custom bedding on Kayla’s bed with hand-made picture frames on the walls to hold her memories. A chandelier and mannequin were also added.
Although the cancer is now gone, Kayla has gone through physical therapy for the last two years and continues follow-up treatments, such as CT scans every three months. Through two years of treatment, the Goeringer family is staying positive.
‘You have to laugh everyday. You can’t get depressed. You just have to just keep laughing,? said Kayla.
Through everything that has happened over the past two years the Goeringer family would like to thank AS2D, the supportive families at Everest Academy, the doctors at Beaumont Hospital, and all of the doctors and surgeons that made Kayla’s recovery possible.
Kayla is working hard towards becoming a fashion designer. She has been invited to attend fashion design classes at International Academy of Design in Troy every Friday this summer. She will also take part in a kid’s fashion show at The Mills on Aug. 24 where she will showcase her very own design. For information on tickets, email Tricia Delude at info@aspace2dream.org.