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Muskegon toddler battles and beats stage four cancer after six months of treatment

Two-year-old Ayla Dior Hunter is back from the hospital after beating stage four cancer.

MUSKEGON, Mich. — Ayla Dior Hunter isn't your average toddler. She's a little girl with strength and power who beat cancer at the age of two. She was in the hospital for the past six months. When she was only one and a half years old, she was diagnosed with stage four Medulloblastoma cancer

"Not knowing if I was going to lose my daughter or… it was just hard," said her mom, Tamya Hardimon.

She said Ayla had tremors and wouldn't walk which is why she took her to the doctor. 

"She wouldn't walk, she would do everything except walk. She could crawl up the stairs, walk around the tables. Everything except walk and so I kept seeking attention to her doctor and he just said keep working with the early-on specialists," said Hardimon.

Ayla's mom was persistent and said Ayla was admitted to the hospital just in time. Doctors at Helen DeVos Children's Hospital found a tumor in the back of Ayla's head.

"They said that she would have to get a EBD drink put into reduce the swelling area, because her mass was so big. So she had that done. And then the next day, September 7, she had brain surgery that lasted nine hours," said Hardimon.

Ayla's mom said she was split between taking care of her 5-year-old son and visiting Ayla between treatments. Her family and friends supported both Hardimon and Ayla over these past six difficult months. In honor of Ayla retuning home cancer free, they are celebrating her Saturday at Oak Crest Church of God in Muskegon.

"This Saturday, we're going to do a welcome home parade for Ayla. She'd been in the hospital for six months, with only two days going home. Because if after each chemo cycle, she has to be hospitalized. So yeah, I want to draw this welcome home parade for her to let everybody see her journey and how far she got in with this stage four cancer," said Hardimon.

Members of the community are invited to attend the celebration for Ayla at Oak Crest Church of God in Muskegon. It starts at 4 p.m. Ayla’s family asks that you wear yellow in honor of her being cancer free.

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