Even if a child is lost early in life due to cancer, they still manage to leave a lasting impact on the people who loved them. Emery Smith, for example, had already developed a strong personality by age two. She was full of spunk, but also mature for her age. But just one month after her second birthday, her health began to decline: she wasn’t eating or sleeping as well, and she cried more often than usual.

After she developed an infection in her neck, Emery was in and out of the hospital until she eventually stopped walking. An MRI and other scans revealed the young girl had neuroblastoma that had metastasized to most of her bones and bone marrow. Although she fought hard, Emery eventually passed away in November, 2017. Her family, though, continues to tell her story and raise awareness of pediatric cancer, keeping Emery’s memory, all her smiles and laughter, alive.

Photo: Emery Smith