What Sparks Joy: Kira’s Story

January is National Mentoring Month, a movement to raise awareness about the power and impact of mentoring. In honor of the positive influence mentors have on the lives of youth, we're highlighting Kira's story with JoyRx Music and JoyRx Mentorship and how both programs led to such enriching opportunities for her. If you're inspired, consider becoming a mentor today. 

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When Kira was just twelve years old, a sixth grader whose biggest concerns were homework and PE class, she began to feel sick.  

“That’s all,” Kira said. “But I just kept feeling sick. I felt sluggish, exhausted, and physically weak.”  

At the time, she was excited for the school year: She would get to try any sport she wanted, go to all the dances, and evolve from pre-teen to official teenager.  

But as days crept by, she kept feeling worse. Soon, she couldn’t even stand to go to school. “A rarity for me,” she said with a laugh. “I’ve always loved school!”  

And that’s what tipped Kira’s mom off that something was wrong. When they arrived at the doctor’s office, all signs pointed to appendicitis. But the family’s doctor wasn’t satisfied with that answer, ordering bloodwork and running tests, promising to call once the results came in.

The Diagnosis Arrives

“Looking back on it, it was such a mundane evening,” said Kira. She and her mom ran errands, strolling down the aisles at Ace Hardware, looking at shower heads, unaware of what was to come. “We waited for the doctor’s call as we browsed, meandering from aisle to aisle. But there was no call. We lingered for a little longer. No call. So, we went home.”  

But once they were settling in for the evening, the call finally arrived. On the phone, the doctor urged them to come back right away, saying that they had a room in the ER waiting for Kira.  

After a series of tests, transporting between hospitals, and experiencing the whirlwind of doctors, nurses, techs, aids, and other medical professionals introducing themselves wave after wave, Kira received her diagnosis:

Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.  

Kira and her cat rest together at home.

“Suddenly, my biggest concern wasn’t going to school — it was staying alive,” she recalled. “My middle school years were supposed to be full of milestones of dances, sports, and friendships. Instead, I was deep in the pediatric cancer world — and my family and I were left in that space alone while the world raced on without me.” 

Naturally, receiving treatment was a whirlwind, and it deeply impacted Kira.  

“I missed so much during my treatment. I missed just being a teenager. I missed the problems that now felt so small — difficult homework, what outfit to wear, and where in the cafeteria to eat lunch. But most of all, I missed music.”  

Finding Music Again

Music is what fills Kira’s soul, she says. She’d been studying piano for two years before her diagnosis and had just found a vocal teacher to refine her singing skills. She was even considering learning the saxophone or another instrument. 

But cancer made all those plans grind to a halt.  

“It wasn’t my ALL diagnosis that hit me the hardest,” she said. “It was the idea that I would have to give up my ambitions and passions. Having to press pause on my busy life and adjust to a new ‘normal’ filled me with trepidation.” 

But thankfully for Kira, that’s when she met Children’s Cancer Association.  

“It started with a distant sound of a guitar coming down the hallway,” she remembered. “Those first few notes were the start of something remarkable, and it felt like a page turn: suddenly, a new world opened to me, a world of interaction, laughter, and a sense of ‘normal’ in my new environment.”  

That’s when there was a knock at the door and a JoyRx Music Specialist poked her head in, asking Kira if she’d like to share some music. Kira remembers beaming with delight at the question, saying yes immediately.  

“She came rolling in with her music cart and keyboard and asked me if I wanted to play with her while she strummed along on her ukulele,” she said. “I was thrilled.”  

Kira distinctly remembers what her response was: “Um, YEAH, that sounds amazing!”  

The two played together, and it soon became routine. The JoyRx Music Specialist would visit Kira during her rounds and make a point of seeking her out whenever they were both at the Ronald McDonald House.  

“It was a bright spot in an otherwise dark series of days,” said Kira. “It gave me a community to feel connected with, even when I felt so alone. It was such a simple thing, but it made a difference. Each guitar strum felt like coming home. Every ukulele pluck felt like I was finding myself again. I felt revived. I felt healed. I felt the music in my soul.”  

During her chemo treatment, one of the medications resulted in a period of aphasia. Kira lost the ability to speak, walk, write, or do much of anything. “There’s no feeling of isolation quite like being trapped within your own body,” she shared. “Of being weak when once you felt strong, losing all your hair, of being separated from everyone and everything to protect your health.” 

But while she was in the PICU, a JoyRx Music Specialist played songs Kira had requested in prior jam sessions. This small interaction had a significant impact on Kira:  

“Even if I was trapped in my body, only my eyes darting back and forth as I listened, I felt like I was singing along. Even if I felt too weak to play the keys on the piano, the music made me feel like I was soaring. I wanted to break out of my locked body and sing along. So desperately, I wanted to feel normal.” 

A New Friend

It wasn’t just the power of music that helped Kira feel better during treatment. She also had her JoyRx Mentor Riley on her side, and that friendship forever changed Kira’s life.  

“The first time Riley walked into the room, it felt like my cancer and chemo walked out,” Kira said. “I was myself. I was without pain and worry.”  

The two of them would hang out together, as simple as that. Sometimes they’d chat, sometimes they’d play games, but the most crucial part was that they were together.  

“Riley felt like a big sister to me,” she said. She writes about her experience with Riley, her JoyRx Mentor, in this 2019 blog post.  

Kira and Riley play games together.

“She always had time to spend with me,” said Kira. “Having someone to hang out with in the hospital for hours during treatment was significant. Like with music, it was such a small thing — but it made a huge difference. Everything I was missing outside the hospital was right there next to me. I had a friend, a sister, and a trusted companion who helped improve those hospital stays.”  

For Kira, Riley’s presence made the experience completely new.  

“It’s a different feeling entirely to be excited to go to the hospital because it means I’ll see Riley rather than being annoyed that I have to go there,” she shared. “Instead of, ‘Ugh, I can’t wait to leave,’ it became, ‘I can’t wait to hear music!’ Instead of, ‘Ugh, I vomited seven times,’ it became, ‘But that’s okay because Riley is coming to visit me soon!’”  

And through extended hospital stays, chemotherapy, and all the side effects that came with it, Kira found comfort in those moments of laughter, hope, and joy.  

The Difference JoyRx Made

What makes JoyRx Programs stand out in her memories is the simple but profound feeling of normalcy. (Her mom wrote a letter to the Children’s Cancer Association community speaking about that critical need.)  

“They helped me feel like myself again,” she said. “Kira… just Kira. Not Kira with Cancer, not Sick Kira, not Poor Kira Can’t Move. Just Kira.”  

And in Kira’s eyes, it was Children’s Cancer Association that made all the difference:  

“How can I go through such a horrible thing, a three-year trauma, and yet come out on the other side feeling happy, supported, and optimistic for the future? Because of JoyRx.”  

After three grueling years, Kira rang the bell to signal the end of her treatment — and with that, she finally felt like herself again.  

Kira Today

So, how is Just Kira spending her days? She’s proud to share that she’s completed her first year of college.  

Kira was our featured guest speaker for our annual gala in 2023, where she spent time with staff member Elke Downer, who was one of the JoyRx Music Specialists playing music with her in the hospital. Today, Elke remains a mentor to Kira.

“I’m currently studying psychology and education to pursue a career in child life, specializing in pediatric cancer,” she said, influenced by her experience as a teenager. “And, I also am snuggling my cat any chance I get.”  

She carries her experiences with JoyRx Music and JoyRx Mentorship with her. Even years later, she knows how it has shaped her life and her view of the world.  

“Children’s Cancer Association was such a meaningful experience for my family and me,” she said. “I still remember the activities I got to do with JoyRx that helped me feel like a kid again amidst the treatments and hospital visits.”

She’s carried that love forward as she transitions from teenager to young adult. She plans to transfer to Western Oregon University after a gap year working full-time. It’s a school her grandparents and parents attended, so she’s especially looking forward to continuing the legacy.  

And, of course, she’s excited and honored to be pursuing a career that means so much to her with a hope of being a guide and mentor to children facing a similar path to hers.