Having a loved one battle a disease is tough enough. Yet in the midst of uncertainty, one Pennsylvania mother is spreading the message of hope with an inspiring photo that has gone viral.
As a parent, the only thing you can ever hope or pray for is to raise a happy and healthy child. Unfortunately life deals us circumstances beyond our control — that include helping your precious little one cope with cancer.
Tazz Jones is the mother of 5-year-old Maliyah Jones, who, according to WGN TV, receives treatments at the Children‘s Hospital of Pittsburgh. Maliyah has neuroblastoma, a type of cancer common among infants and young children. Tazz learned of her daughter’s disease after doctors found a tumor in her stomach when she was just 2 years old.
Through her daughter’s chemotherapy and radiation treatments, Tazz continues to stay hopeful and has shared encouragement by posting a heartwarming photo on Facebook.
“This is the perfect example of love,” captioned Jones.
Sometimes an image is more powerful than words.
The photo shows Maliyah gazing through a window as she embraces Madelina DeLuca, a patient battling acute myeloid leukemia. It’s a perfect image that captures innocence and affection in a time of pain. You would think these two girls were life-long friends, when actually they only met not too long ago.
“We just met that day,” Tazz revealed to WPXI. “Maliyah ran up to her. They were hugging and looking out the window, and I asked, ‘Can I take a picture of them?'”
This is a wonderful example of the power of social media and its ability to reach so many people. Since Tazz shared the photo, it has gone viral, making headlines both here in the U.S. and around the world. “I’m hoping the whole city has seen it, people outside of the city, all over the world — not just for Maliyah’s story, but for other families going through this,” admits Jones.
Children are such a beautiful reminder of not losing hope and living in the moment. For the most part, they still have an innocence about them that helps keep their beliefs and aspirations intact. I can’t imagine the strength needed for such a young child to stare cancer in the face on a daily basis. Such a battle would be taxing on an adult, but yet, there’s an undeniable power among the youth.
Tazz recently posted this photo on Facebook of her daughter receiving her very first manicure and pedicure in a beauty salon. “Just in time for Sloan Kettering’s Prom For Patients!” Jones celebrates.
Those touched by the story can make donations on Maliyah’s YouCaring page that will go toward her medical expenses. Madelina (the other young patient in the photo) has her own donation page on GoFundMe that just revealed wonderful news: Recent biopsy results showed no sign of leukemia.
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