It is never easy to face the impending loss of a parent, but it must be unimaginably worse to face the prospect of being a mom and having to watch both her own father and her child struggle to survive. This was the sad reality facing Florida mom Allyson Parker, who would go on to lose both people she loved. Just days before Braylynn Parker's fifth birthday, her family received devastating news: Their little girl had brain cancer and was told she had limited time to live. Not only were doctors unable to operate on her diffuse intrinsic pontine gliomas tumor, but also according to Braylynn's aunt on a GoFundMe page created to help with her medical bills, doctors informed the family that chemotherapy wouldn't help.
Her only option was radiation to slow the growth. Just a month later, however, Braylynn took a devastating turn for the worse, leading to this heartbreaking viral photo of the girl and her grandfather.
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After celebrating Christmas with her family, Braylynn was brought back to the hospital in early January because she seemed congested.
Doctors admitted her for what they believed to be a small bleed in the tumor, but Braylynn's condition rapidly declined and they delivered devastating news.
"Went downstairs to Starbucks…came back…doctor told us my little baby is basically braindead. She was responsive just a few hours ago…I don't understand," her mom, Ally, wrote on Facebook.
"The doctor who originally gave us the 24-48 hour timeline just came back. She has realized that Braylynn is NOT like most kids. We no longer have the 48 hour maximum timeline, or even one at all really. She is still winning, she can still beat this."
Her mom shared a heartbreaking photo that captures both her dying daughter and her father, who was also dying.
At the time, Braylynn's grandfather, Sean, was battling a terminal diagnosis of ALS, and although doctors didn't expect him to live much longer than his granddaughter, he was still by her side during what the family thought would be her final hours.
"These two are the strongest people I have ever known. Everyone related to us would agree. We all thought that they would outlive the rest of us… and we certainly never thought that my precious little Braylynn would be the first to go," Ally wrote. "Why her…Murderers deserve death sentences, NOT babies."
But as Sean was losing his battle with ALS, his granddaughter was fighting equally hard to live.
"In a few days I will have to bury this beautiful little girl. Months, maybe even weeks, later, I will have to bury my father," Ally wrote on Facebook. "Both of my heroes, gone, within the same year…How could this happen to us? What did any of us do to deserve THIS? Why do they have to leave us? What are we supposed to do? I refuse to believe that there is a reason for this. This world is a terrible place."
Although doctors originally gave her 24 to 48 hours to live, Braylynn's body refused to stop fighting.
"The nurse who told us earlier that Braylynn's heart would stop in an hour or two was WRONG. It has been SIX HOURS since then. That nurse was not supposed to give a timeline at all, and her pulse was never faint," Ally wrote in an update on Facebook after posting her viral photo.
"She was mad because the administration is letting us keep her on the ventilator for as long as we want, so that everyone who is coming here can get here. We will let her go tomorrow after everyone has had the chance to see her one more time."
But Braylynn's heart continued to beat strong, so the family decided not to take her off the ventilator. "We are leaving her on the ventilator until all of the funeral arrangements are made. It may take a few days, because everything is going to be PERFECT for her big day," she wrote. "Until then, she is still with us, still fighting, still strong."
Ally hoped her family's heartbreaking photos will be a wake-up call for parents.
"The last time my little girls will ever hold each other's hands…Everyone please kiss your babies for me tonight and hold them tight…Please don't take them for granted….Cherish every second you have with them, you may not have as many as you think…" she wrote in another post.
"I PROMISE YOU, you do not want to feel this feeling, and if you know this feeling… please, tell me how you deal with this, because I am absolutely clueless…"
Despite having to finalize Braylynn's Belle-inspired funeral, this family refused to give up hope.
Days after Braylynn's family was told that she would likely take her last breath, they were still clinging to a flicker of good news during the darkest time of their lives. "Not only is Braylynn inspiring people all over the WORLD…earlier today, I spoke with some of the social workers for hospice…They are not willing to give up on her," she wrote.
"Tomorrow, we are having a family meeting which will include the social workers and a doctor whom I have not met. This doctor… is wanting to get Braylynn treatment. He believes she still has a chance. FINALLY, A DOCTOR WHO WANTS TO HELP US!
"The possibility of her death is still very likely, but once again, we have been shown a glimmer of hope," she continued. "I couldn't be more proud of my Braylynn, she's always been a tough kid but I severely underestimated her strength. I will never make that mistake again."
Braylynn held on for just a while longer.
Braylynn fought her disease so hard, but much to the devastation of her family and everyone following her story, she died on January 15, 2018. Her mother continued to advocate for cancer awareness and do her part to help other family's dealing with childhood cancers.
Braylynn's grandfather died from ALS later that same year.
