At the age of 3, Tamiyah is a fighter, having lived most of her life battling cancer. In October 2018, when Tamiyah was just a year old, she was diagnosed with type II neurofibromatosis. It caused tumors known as optic gliomas to form on both of her optic nerves. Currently, her eyesight is impaired but still present. Medical professionals believe that Tamiyah may have total vision loss in her left eye, but until she is older, it is difficult to know for sure.

Every two weeks, Tamiyah would travel to receive treatment. The drive to Atlanta takes four hours, so each trip was no simple undertaking for her family. Despite the hardships presented by COVID-19, Tamiyah’s treatment was able to continue as scheduled. With a fragile immune system, Tamiyah’s family has to be extra careful about any potential exposure to COVID-19. This was particularly difficult at the beginning of the pandemic when they had limited access to supplies like disinfectants and face masks.

On June 30, 2020, Tamiyah celebrated the end of her treatment. Although her tumors are still present, they have stopped growing and remain stable. Now, she fills her days with small joys like coloring or playing with her siblings – and, occasionally, she receives routine MRIs.

Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation was able to make Tamiyah’s journey a little bit easier by providing her family with gas cards to help on their long drives to the hospital. Tamiyah may not be cancer-free yet, but in just three years of life, her family is so proud of how far she's come.

Information provided by Lashondra, Tamiyah's mom
Updated June 2021