Bailey Cooper, 9-years old, battled with cancer before his younger sister was born.
But despite the prognosis, young Bailey fought hard so that he could meet his baby sister, Millie.
According to his father, Lee Cooper, all he was concerned about was meeting his little sister. When the doctor told us in August that he had only days to weeks to survive, we were open to that fact. He was also taking it in but suddenly he said, “Oh no, I won’t meet my sister.”
Months before this event, the Cooper family learned that they will have a new family member. Bailey reacted to this positively because he was more excited than the whole family. It lifted his spirit because he felt like he had an extra special part in his mother’s pregnancy.
But he managed to hang on, said his father. We don’t really know how he did it, they said. He did his best to see his younger sister, Millie.
When Bailey’s younger sister was born and they visited the hospital, even though the young boy was feeling weak, he did his best to hold on to his sister.
Bailey spent the final month of his life as close to his little sister as possible. His father said it was both amazing and difficult to see both of them. With the short time that they spent, Bailey would hold his sister every day and would be by her side.
Bailey died on the eve of Christmas, 2017.
While the family misses Bailey very much, Millie reminds them of him. Now, the parents promise to make sure that she would know about her loving big brother. They do this by telling her about him daily, showing pictures and other remembrances.
Every time now, Millie would point at her brother’s picture everytime the parents mention the name Bailey.