Adalyn’s Legacy
Adalyn Atkins, just 2 years old and lovingly known as Addy, was born on May 12, 2023, and passed peacefully on December 23, 2025, due to brain cancer, an ETMR tumor. In her short time on this earth, Addy changed lives and touched the hearts of everyone around her.
Addy was pure light, with curious eyes, a soft smile, and a presence that wrapped everyone around her finger. She was beyond sassy and truly had a personality of her own.
She loved being outside and gave everyone the kind of love people search a lifetime for. Her laughter, her expressions, and even her quiet moments left a permanent imprint on all who had the honor of knowing and loving her.
She is deeply loved and forever cherished by her mother, Rianna Schmidt, and her stepfather, Zachary Lynch, who loved her as his own. Addy was also surrounded by the love of her aunts, Marissa and Rachel, her grandparents, and many family members and friends who will carry her memory forward.
Addy is reunited in heaven with her cousin, Grayson, who passed at the age of seven in 2024. We know they are together and having the most amazing playdate.
Though her time here was far too short, Adalyn’s impact was immeasurable. She will always be remembered for the love she gave, the strength she showed throughout our journey, the way she never stopped smiling, not once, and the way she forever changed the hearts of those who loved her. She was the sweetest little girl anyone could know, and she had a laugh that will echo in our minds until the end of time.
Loving her was the greatest gift we could ever receive and the deepest pain we will ever know.
Our Donation Story
When Adalyn died from a brain tumor, we chose to donate her tumor to a brain tumor research foundation. It wasn’t an easy decision, but it was the right one for us. If we couldn’t save our child, we wanted her life to help save another.
By donating her tumor, researchers can learn from her specific cancer—not just data, but a real child’s fight—so future families might have better options, more answers, and more time. This was our way of carrying Adalyn forward. Her story didn’t end with her death; it continues in hope, research, and the possibility of change.
We are raising funds in honor of Adalyn, our daughter, who lost her life to a brain tumor. Adalyn was deeply loved, and her fight changed us forever. In her honor, we are supporting brain tumor research so that future children and families may have better answers, better treatments, and more time.
This fundraiser is about turning devastating loss into purpose. Every donation helps carry Adalyn’s name forward and brings us one step closer to a world where fewer families have to endure this kind of heartbreak.
