Jackson County fire departments, emergency service offices team up to support young girl battling leukemia
VANCLEAVE, Miss. (WXXV) — Fire departments and other emergency service organizations across Jackson County are teaming up to raise money for one local girl battling leukemia.
Seven-year-old Ryleigh Yates, a second grader at Vancleave Lower Elementary School, is described by her uncle Will Yates as a bubbly kid with many interests.
“She loves sports,” Will said. “She’s got [an] older brother and an older sister — they’re twins — that she follows around everywhere. She loves cheer, loves softball; she’s just a great kid to be around.”
Ryleigh is also the daughter of Pascagoula Fire Department Captain and Jackson County firefighter Jay Yates.
“She’s grown up in this environment with the fire department” Will explained.
On January 9th, Ryleigh and her family faced the unimaginable, as she was diagnosed with precursor B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
As months of treatments and hospital visits loom, fire departments across Jackson County have stepped up to help the family in its time of need, starting with a Boston butt fundraiser just in time for Super Bowl Sunday.
“It’s a really good thing, and it’s going to be really good food,” Will said. “Anybody that wants [it], there’s a list out that’s got all the phone numbers and everything. If you give us a call, we’ll get you put down, taken care of, and come pick them up when they’re ready.”
It’s just one of many fundraisers that Jackson County fire departments have planned over the next few months to help one of their own — one who is fighting her battle with the bravery and spirit of someone much older than her.
“She loves… glows every time somebody FaceTimes her, gives her a call or comes and visits when they can, because it’s really hard,” Will explained. “You can’t have any germs, so it’s really hard to visit her, but… the little gifts she gets, she’s got a whole room full of teddy bears and everything. She taking pictures with them. She’s making lots of little friends at the hospital and everything, so she’s really making the best of a bad situation.”
No matter what comes next, Ryleigh has the full support of her uncles — and honorary uncles — as she continues to fight leukemia with as much courage as those firefighters show when battling flames.
“This is what she’s grown up with, so, we’re all family, all of us together,” Will said. “So we all come together to help her, help with everything that’s going on.”
A link to the Yates family’s GoFundMe can be found here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-ryleighs-fight-against-leukemia
