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The Life of Kylie, Part Five

Four-year-old Kylie Arnold succumbed to brain cancer in February, but in her short life, she inspired many. This is the last of a five-part series on her life, death and legacy.

Part one of this story is here. Part two is here. Part three is here. Part four is here. Kylie Elizabeth Arnold died at 12:15 a.m. on Sunday, February 26. At around 2:30 a.m., her parents called the funeral home and started to get ready for their arrival. Dustin Arnold and Nicole Anderson changed their daughter into comfortable pajamas, and covered her up. At 3:15 a.m., the funeral home arrived to take the body. “I told myself it wasn’t those people taking her, she was already home,” Dustin said, wiping away tears. “I couldn’t stand the fact that she had to go somewhere without me. But she was already gone, with the Lord.” The next week was a blur, Dustin and Nicole said. They had to do all the things you’d never expect to do as the parent…

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The Life of Kylie, Part Four

Four-year-old Kylie Arnold succumbed to brain cancer in February of this year, but in her short life, she touched many. This is the fourth in a series about her life, death and legacy.

Part one of this story is here. Part two is here. Part three is here. On Friday, February 24, Dustin Arnold and Nicole Anderson made the most difficult decision of their lives. Kylie’s last weeks were painful, yet peaceful. Dustin decided not to return to work, and the family took a trip to Key Lime Cove in Gurnee. Kylie’s facial paralysis had progressed to the point where Dustin and Nicole had to help her drink through a straw. And her ability to speak kept deteriorating. “She was such an independent child, and this was so frustrating for her,” Nicole said. “We would do our best to hear what she had to say, but even us, we couldn’t decipher it always. She talked in hand signs. But when she couldn’t talk properly, she gave up.” Dustin …

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Rayanne Carlson

2:58 pm on Friday, July 6, 2012

I agree about Andre's writing. It is an emotional story, with a very inspiring family to make it more heartfelt.   more ›

The Life of Kylie, Part Three

Four-year-old Kylie Arnold succumbed to brain cancer in February, but in her short life, she inspired many. This is part three in our series on her life, death and legacy.

Part one of this story is here. Part two is here. “The hardest part with Kylie was that there were so many moments when we’d let our guard down, and breathe a sigh of relief,” Dr. Natalie said. “And then we’d be sucker-punched from the other direction.” For the next few months, that’s how things went. Kylie and her family enjoyed the circus on Halloween, and then seven days later she was in surgery for the second time. And two or three weeks later, she was laughing and playing with her brother and friends again. “Brain surgery is freaky and scary when you’re approaching it, but she bounced back,” Dustin said. “She proved how amazing and awesome she is by bouncing back so quickly.” Still, the long treatment process had taken its toll. Kylie…

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The Life of Kylie, Part Two

Four-year-old Kylie Arnold succumbed to brain cancer in February, but in her short life, she inspired many. This is part two of our series about her life, death and legacy.

Part one of this story is here. “I knew right off the bat that it was bad,” Dr. Natalie said. The technical term for the mass inside Kylie’s brain is a Primitive Neuroectodermal Tumor, but doctors sometimes refer to them as “peanut” tumors. They’re very aggressive, Dr. Natalie said, and very difficult to remove. Kylie was scheduled for brain surgery at Children’s Memorial the very next day. When they arrived at the hospital, doctors performed an MRI, and discovered that the cancer had already spread to Kylie’s spine. Dustin remembers the moment clearly. He asked the doctor what kind of cancer his daughter had, and the doctor replied, “The worst kind.” “I was crushed,” Dustin said. “I squeezed Mom’s hand real tight, crying, not knowing what…

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The Life of Kylie, Part One

Four-year-old Kylie Arnold succumbed to brain cancer in February, but in her short life, she inspired many. This is the first of a five-part series on her life, death and legacy.

The calendar reads April of 2012, but inside this Montgomery home, time has stopped. Dustin Arnold and Nicole Anderson are sitting together on the couch in their main room. They’re tired, and they’re each relying on the other to be strong. Around them, on walls and bookshelves, the smiling face of their daughter, Kylie, peers out from photo frames. They’re memories of happier days, frozen in time. The story they’re telling is not an easy one, and it’s marked by tears. While Nicole is talking, Dustin will reach out and grab her hand, or offer her a supportive squeeze on the arm. It’s only been a couple of weeks, after all, and they’re not used to talking about it. On March 2, Dustin and Nicole did something no parents should ever have to – …

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Schools Raise Thousands for Family of Kylie Arnold

A series of fundraisers, including a Culver's night, brought in just shy of $3,000 to help the family of Kylie Arnold, a 4-year-old Montgomery girl who lost her fight with brain cancer late last month.

On Wednesday night, Nicole Anderson of Montgomery got to see, first-hand, just how much her community cares about her. Nicole, still reeling from the shock of losing her 4-year-old daughter Kylie Arnold to brain cancer and pneumonia the week before, made an appearance at Culver’s in Oswego, where a pair of Oswego schools had organized a benefit for her and her family. And as she looked around at the hundreds of people there, many of whom she did not know, she realized what a caring place she lives in. She said she had no idea so many people would come out to lend a hand. “It’s overwhelming,” she said. “Overwhelming, but awesome.” For the entire day Wednesday, Culver’s on Route 34 put aside 10 percent of all proceeds to donate to Nicole and…

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Schools Help Raise Funds for Family of Kylie Arnold

On Wednesday, Culver's in Oswego will donate 10% of all its proceeds to the family of Kylie Arnold, a 4-year-old Montgomery girl who succumbed to brain cancer and pneumonia last Sunday. Schools have been holding their own fundraisers as well.

It’s an unimaginable thing, the kind of tragedy that leaves a hole in the middle of a community. When the Oswego School District community heard that 4-year-old Kylie Arnold of Montgomery had succumbed to brain cancer and pneumonia on Feb. 26, there was sadness, and there was shock. But then, there was action. Both Brokaw Early Learning Center in Oswego, where Kylie Arnold attended, and Long Beach Elementary School, home to her brother Devin, launched their own fundraising efforts to help the Arnold family. And those efforts will culminate on Wednesday with a Culver’s day in Oswego dedicated to the Arnolds. Long Beach’s assistant principal, Dawn Marmo, said she got the call about Kylie’s death on Sunday, and on Monday started talking with …

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