Moriah's journey
Moriah Unique Richardson made her grand entrance in this world September 26th, 2008. She was born a healthy and happy little girl. She loved being the only child, and spent most of her time dancing and singing to Beyoncé and changing her Princess attire a million times a day! Even at a young age, Moriah had a personality that was out of this world. She loved traveling to new places with her parents, and wanted to be a movie star when she grew up.
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One June 17th 2011, Moriah’s life, and the life of everyone who loved her was forever changed.
In the photo, Moriah is grinning up at the camera, her brown eyes and round cheeks covered by a pair of oversize purple sunglasses.
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She looks like a healthy, happy 2-year-old.
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Later that day, she was diagnosed with Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma, or DIPG, an inoperable tumor on her brain stem. The diagnosis of cancer was stunning. Even worse was the prognosis—Moriah was given a 10 percent chance of living out the year.
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The only treatment was radiation, which could shrink the tumor and alleviate some of the symptoms. Moriah underwent 30 radiation treatments in five weeks, and because she was only 2, she had to be put to sleep for all of them.It was very traumatic for her, so her parents promised their daughter they would throw her the biggest party her little mind could imagine when she completed treatments.
When the month was over, Moriah got her own personal carnival, complete with moon bounces, a merry-go-round, a cotton candy machine, a popcorn machine and carnival games. Surrounded by family and friends, there was so much love for her at her event. It was unfortunately the last thing Moriah was able to really enjoy before her condition worsened.
Moriah took her last breath, holding her dad’s hand, September 13th, 2013, 13 days before her 5th Birthday.
Moriah taught everyone she came in contact with the true meaning of “strength.” The Forever Moriah Foundation was created to ensure Moriah’s memory and legacy lives on forever.