Kylie Rosset

Anyone who knew her will tell you that as soon as she walked into a room, it got brighter. Her smile was contagious - as it spread across her beautiful face, it spread to others. Where ever she went, laughter followed right behind her. Only a little girl, she lost her life after a long hard fight.

From the minute she was born, on November 7, 1995, she filled the room with joy. Since she could talk, she told everyone about her dreams of being an actress and being in plays. The Wizard of Oz was always her favorite movie, and she dreamed of one day being in the play with Haley. At the age of two, she watched her sister, play a role in Annie and a few other small plays. The two of them were always singing together, and they both had very vivid imaginations.

December of 1997 I was baby-sitting for my neighbors, the Bartels, and Kylie and her sister. It was getting dark, but the girls showed no signs of tiredness. When I asked them what they wanted to do, I expected the normal answer of  "dress up." Of course they wanted to play dress up. What else did I think they would say. Delighted to hear me say, "OK," they ran for the basement door. After we were down there, Haley picked out a pink tutu and a boa. Kylie chose an old Halloween costume. As soon as they were dressed, they, of course, wanted to put on a play. The two of them were better actresses than I had expected, and they put on a great show.

In June of 1998, Kylie caught the chicken pox. A few months later, the marks were still there. Her mother, Gina, took her to the doctor to see why the marks were taking so long to go away. A few days later Kylie was diagnosed with a rare type of leukemia. The doctors didn't think she would live.

As time went on things got worse. She started the chemo-therapy and soon was on a respirator. She now couldn't do much of anything on her own. As the months passed, she slowly got better. The day that she sat up a got her own water was a day that everyone celebrated. As she got sick again, people who didn't even know her had held fund-raisers to help her. Kylie had gotten a part in The Wizard Of OZ.

On April 17, 1999, I was at a party at my neighbor’s house, the Nazzaros, and we got a phone call. Kylie’s immune system was getting weaker. Her lungs were filled with fluid, one of her kidneys wasn't working, and a new virus had developed but her body was too weak to fight it off. The doctors said that the next forty-eight hours were crucial. That night me and Kristin Mele went back to my house with tear-stained faces. The next day was even harder than the last, We hoped for news that she was doing better. At around eight thirty, we received a phone call. Kylie had died at the young age of three. Despite our non-step praying, God had taken her from us all. Her friends, family, and so many others that didn't even know her felt like they had suffered a tremendous loss. She wouldn't ever get a chance to be in the play. So many broken dreams. So many lost hopes.

The funeral was on Monday, April 26. The church was filled with people young and old that were touched by Kylie’s story. The mass card contained a poem that had a line that really meant a lot to me. "Although we loved her deeply, we could not make her stay, a golden heart stopped beating, hard working hands to rest. God broke our hearts to prove to us he only takes the best."

-Victoria Falletta