BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) \u2014 For one 9-year-old Bakersfield girl, the holidays look a little different this year. Instead of school breaks and festive traditions, her season has been filled with hospital visits and long drives for treatment. <\/p>\n
But thanks to the Hey There Delilah Foundation, this family is finding support, relief, and hope during a difficult time.<\/p>\n
Kaydence is playful and full of life, but behind her bright smile is a battle no child should have to face. <\/p>\n
On October 7, her mother, Wayneisha Wandick, received the life-changing call that Kaydence had been diagnosed with cancer. Just days earlier, Wayneisha sensed something was wrong.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe thought it was just wrist pain, so we did blood work,\u201d Wandick said.<\/p>\n
With no family history of cancer, the diagnosis came as a shock. Almost immediately, Wayneisha and Kaydence were referred to Kaiser Permanente in Los Angeles, turning their lives upside down. Frequent trips back and forth meant rising gas expenses, hotel costs, and emotional strain\u2014especially during the holiday season.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was definitely the worst day,\u201d Wandick said. \u201cFrom there, we were sent to Kaiser out in L.A.\u201d<\/p>\n
What the family didn\u2019t know was that help was on the way.<\/p>\n
The Hey There Delilah Foundation, which supports families battling pediatric cancer, stepped in to ease the burden. <\/p>\n
The foundation is led by Samantha Pierce, a cancer survivor who was diagnosed herself in November 2016. Pierce created the foundation in honor of her daughter, Delilah Loyas, whose favorite holiday was Christmas.<\/p>\n
\u201cChristmas was Delilah\u2019s favorite holiday,\u201d Pierce said. \u201cSo what we have for you and your family are all these gifts and a thousand dollars for you and your mom.\u201d<\/p>\n
Since March 2024, the Hey There Delilah Foundation has supported 17 families in Bakersfield, offering financial assistance and emotional support during some of the hardest moments of their lives.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was just the mom and daughter that mattered especially because it\u2019s December,\u201d Pierce said. \u201cIt was Delilah\u2019s favorite holiday.\u201d<\/p>\n
For Kaydence and her mother, the unexpected generosity brought comfort and hope when they needed it most.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t even put it into words,\u201d Wandick said. \u201cBut I\u2019m extremely grateful for all the support.\u201d<\/p>\n
When asked how she felt, Kaydence kept it simple.<\/p>\n
\u201cGrateful,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
This holiday season may be different for Kaydence, but thanks to the kindness of others, it\u2019s also a little brighter.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Those interested in supporting families fighting cancer can purchase the newest Hey There Delilah book, with all proceeds going directly toward helping families in need.<\/p>\n
Stay in Touch with Us Anytime, Anywhere:<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) \u2014 For one 9-year-old Bakersfield girl, the holidays look a little different this year. Instead…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":109040,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[151,155,153,152,162],"class_list":{"0":"post-109039","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-bakersfield","8":"tag-bakersfield","9":"tag-bakersfield-downtown","10":"tag-bakersfield-headlines","11":"tag-bakersfield-news","12":"tag-kern-county-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/109039","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=109039"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/109039\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/109040"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=109039"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=109039"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=109039"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}