Kaycee’s Legacy
Kaycee Rose Clark was born on March 3, 2014, after a prayerful time of asking God to bring her into our lives. She was the most perfect baby—she ate, slept, and was joyful. As soon as she began to talk, she would speak about God’s love for her. She thrived in everything she did and was active in the church her entire life, participating in Bible quizzing, plays, Sunday school, VBS, summer camp, and concerts. She loved life and lived it to the fullest.
Kaycee was easygoing and had a supernatural awareness of the importance of relationships. She made everything and everyone feel special. Everyone who knew her felt they were her special person, and we believe they all were, each in their unique way. The relationships she built with people were an incredible gift.
On Easter 2023, Kaycee was diagnosed with brain cancer, medulloblastoma, and she fought bravely for 15 months. During this time, we witnessed God’s love, strength, and endurance through her. She often talked about going home to heaven and was not afraid to die, but she frequently expressed sadness at the thought of leaving us. Kaycee loved our home and our family more than anything in the world and was not ready to leave us.
Kaycee played many sports, including cross country, horseback riding, basketball, swimming, gymnastics, soccer, and Bible quizzing. She was an excellent basketball player and continued to play through wheelchair basketball after her diagnosis. She loved animals, especially horses, and dreamed of becoming an equine veterinarian. She was able to continue horseback riding through therapy, which brought her great joy.
Kaycee also loved art, reading, crafting, video games (especially Adopt Me), swimming, traveling, animals, stuffed animals, watching movies, running, and playing games. Most of all, she cherished her friends and family. She wanted to be an organ donor but was unable to due to cancer. However, when we learned about Gift from a Child, we knew this would allow Kaycee to donate, continue the fight, and remain an active part of this world.
All words fall short compared to the light, love, and joy she brought to our lives. We are thankful she gets to live on through this donation and pray that a special treatment will come about from her samples. She surely left a mark and was incredibly special to everyone she ever met.
Our Donation Story
Kaycee and I were always together; people often called her my shadow. One time at the license bureau, I was asked if I wanted to be an organ donor. Kaycee, always very aware of her surroundings, was intrigued by the idea that donating organs after death could allow someone to continue helping others and remain a part of the world. After learning what it meant, she immediately decided she wanted to be an organ donor.
We watched movies about organ donors, and Kaycee became deeply committed to the idea. After her cancer diagnosis, it became clear she wouldn’t be able to donate much. I wept over this and shared my heartbreak with a dear friend, who told me about her adult sister who had passed from premature dementia. Her family was able to donate her brain to research, which inspired me.
Near the end of Kaycee’s life, her doctor confirmed what we had felt throughout her journey—that Kaycee’s cancer had no genetic mutations or factors. For some reason, it was uniquely aggressive, as though it was something entirely different. I asked her doctor if there was any way to donate in the hope that if Kaycee’s cancer was rare, it could help other families. That’s when we learned about Gift from a Child and how our children’s hospital partnered with them.
Throughout her journey, Kaycee never spent a night away from us, and though it may seem strange, it was a comfort to know that even after her passing, she was not mentally “gone” or away from us.
Instead, she continues to fight her cancer, now through research. This gives us peace, knowing her story might bring hope and answers to other families in the future.
