BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) \u2014 What began as the story of a bright young girl from Bakersfield has grown into a movement of hope, compassion, and canine companionship \u2014 all in honor of Delilah Loya.<\/p>\n
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A native of Bakersfield and a former student at Roosevelt Elementary, Delilah’s radiant smile could light up a room. But behind that infectious grin was the heart of a warrior. At just four years old, Delilah was diagnosed with stage four neuroblastoma, a rare and aggressive form of childhood cancer. She spent the next five years bravely fighting the disease, in and out of Los Angeles Children’s Hospital. Tragically, Delilah passed away last year at just nine years old.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe had a huge spirit. She was lovely, and she fought. She was a survivor,\u201d said Stephanie Pierce, a close family friend.<\/p>\n
Though Delilah\u2019s family has since moved away from Bakersfield, her legacy lives on \u2014 through stories, through acts of kindness, and through the powerful pages of children\u2019s books inspired by her life.<\/p>\n
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Stephani Pierce, a cancer survivor herself, has written four children\u2019s books in Delilah\u2019s honor. Her latest, Winter the Wonder Dog, tells the story of a loyal service dog \u2014 based on Winter, the real-life pup who never left Delilah\u2019s side during her most difficult days.<\/p>\n
\u201cI witnessed firsthand how Winter was always there for Delilah,\u201d Pierce shared. \u201cShe was unwavering. She was gentle with her when she needed it the most.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pierce\u2019s deep understanding of the healing power of animals comes from her own experience. While undergoing cancer treatment, she leaned on the comfort of her dog, who, though not service-trained, was a source of strength and emotional support.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy dog was there with me the entire time I fought cancer,\u201d Pierce recalled. \u201cShe\u2019s not service-dog trained, but she was an angel.\u201d<\/p>\n
That deep bond between humans and their pets is lovingly illustrated in every page of Winter the Wonder Dog, highlighting the kind, affectionate nature of dogs \u2014 and the quiet strength they bring.<\/p>\n
But the book is more than a tribute. It\u2019s a tool for change.<\/p>\n
Proceeds from every sale support the Hey There Delilah Foundation<\/a>, which helps cancer patients in need. So far, the foundation has assisted 18 families \u2014 16 of them in Bakersfield \u2014 with financial support and resources during their treatment journeys.<\/p>\n Among those helped is David Tavar, a 23-year-old from Texas who was diagnosed with testicular cancer and has been battling it \u2014 alone \u2014 for over a year.<\/p>\n \u201cI drove myself to my chemos. I drove myself to San Antonio Methodist Hospital to do my transplants \u2014 all on my own,\u201d David said. \u201cSo just having this \u2014 somebody\u2019s support \u2014 makes a difference.\u201d<\/p>\n What David didn\u2019t know was that the Hey Delilah Foundation was surprising him with a $1,000 donation to help with his treatment and recovery.<\/p>\n As Delilah\u2019s story continues to touch lives across the country, Pierce hopes that readers of Winter the Wonder Dog walk away with more than just a warm feeling.<\/p>\n \u201cI want them to feel hopeful,\u201d she said. \u201cI want them to feel recognized \u2014 and feel the support of a good dog.\u201d<\/p>\n You can find the newest book winter the wonder dog here<\/a> or you can get a physical copy at Russo’s Book Store<\/a>.<\/p>\n Stay in Touch with Us Anytime, Anywhere:<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) \u2014 What began as the story of a bright young girl from Bakersfield has grown…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4093,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[151,155,153,152,4900,4901,4902,4903,4904,4905,4906,4907],"class_list":["post-4092","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-bakersfield","tag-bakersfield","tag-bakersfield-downtown","tag-bakersfield-headlines","tag-bakersfield-news","tag-cancer","tag-chemo","tag-childrens-books","tag-delilah-loya","tag-hey-delilah-foundation","tag-los-angeles-childrens-hospital","tag-stephani-pierce","tag-winter-the-wonder-dog"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4092","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=4092"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4092\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4093"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4092"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4092"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4092"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}<\/p>\n