Kai is the epitome of love and joy and everything that is good in this world. He would brighten the day of anyone who crossed his path, with his beautiful smile, contagious laugh, or a simple wave. We will never understand why he got cancer. But it happened; at the tender age of six. A month in the hospital trying to figure out and control constant vomiting. A month doing physical therapy for the pain in his neck. Months of tests, labs, medication, discomfort, and uncertainty. A moment of piercing pain and a rush to the ER. A CT scan. A mass in his head. Emergency surgery #1. Emergency surgery #2. A diagnosis - cancer, brain, aggressive. A tumultuous month of recovery. Relearning how to eat, lift his head, stand up, walk, talk. A relocation overseas for further treatment. Thirty-three sessions of radiation to the brain. Nausea. Vomiting. Weight loss. Balance issues...
…and then some calm, some regularity; back in school; making strides with his Autism; relearning how to ride a bike; traveling back home. Three years of semi-normalcy. Only for cancer to rear its ugly head again. And then again the following year. And then again a few months later. Relentless.
On August 26, 2025, after valiantly battling brain cancer for 6+ years (half of his life), our beautiful Kai took his last breath. He was 12 years old; just shy of becoming a teenager as he was so looking forward to. Gone too soon. Way too soon.
Kai’s journey, however, was never defined by illness. At every turn, he met a setback with courage and adaptation; never complaining and always leading with love and joy and kindness towards others despite all he had to endure. The first thing he did upon waking every morning was to smile and say “Happy [whatever day of the week it was]!”. To Kai, every day was worthy of holiday status. Kai filled every day with fun. Whether it was riding his bike, going for walks or ferry rides with his parents, exploring museums with his grandparents, learning a new song at a piano lesson, doing online puzzle time or Facetime chat with his cousin, going swimming, playing Uno, going to the playground with his classmates, perfecting a page in his paint-by-sticker books, laughing and learning with his favorite TV characters on “StoryBots” and “The Magic School Bus”, or dropping everything he was doing at 7:00 each day to be a faithful contestant of “Jeopardy” and “Wheel of Fortune”, life was an endless adventure. He was also a musical savant who played the piano nearly every day and honed his skills through lessons, YouTube tutorials, and learning on his own how to compose and arrange pieces on MuseScore and GarageBand. Music became Kai’s sanctuary and one of his beautiful gifts to the world. Over time, he created more than 100 original compositions, including the one featured on this page.
A large part of Kai’s happiness and developmental progress was fostered at LearningSpring School (LSS). From a young age, we learned that Kai was on the Autism spectrum. While there were many challenges that came along with this diagnosis, such as delays with speech and social cues, Kai also revealed extraordinary gifts. He began reading at two and a half, and his fascination with numbers, puzzles, and words quickly grew into a lifelong love of learning. When we relocated to New York from Panama for further cancer treatment, we discovered LearningSpring and were fortunate to be able to enroll Kai there. He loved school and was excited to get up to take the bus in the mornings and spend the day with his classmates and teachers. Math was his favorite subject and he mastered it beyond his years. An avid reader, Kai looked forward to new books and reading circle. The routine-driven side of him enjoyed “morning meeting” and when he got home, the first thing he talked about was recess on the playroof. When he arrived at LSS, his speech and social skills were limited and in the four years he spent there, nurtured by skilled and devoted teachers and specialists, he became quite the social butterfly and was spontaneously greeting strangers in the elevator. His curiosity was endless, and his passion for learning and for infusing every moment possible with fun was contagious. He received the “Always Smiling” award and was known for his adorable expressions, “Oooooops!”, “Mssssss. Meeeeghan!” and “That’s silly!” He and Ms. Gabby had a special bond - all about laughs, which we know is the best medicine for the soul. Kai loved LearningSpring and was adored by his LSS family.
In honor of Kai, thank you for giving to LearningSpring School, and may we all be inspired to live our lives to the fullest and lead with love…
Kari and Vic
(aka “mommy” and “daddy”)
#ForeverKai
