Janiya Payne Journey

Good morning! 💛 A little update and a proud moment for this momma! 🥰

Janiya had her checkup with the dentist, and for the very first time, she had NO cavities! 🦷🎉 That is such an amazing accomplishment, and this momma is definitely proud! ❤️

She also has some teeth that will hopefully be making their way out soon, so we’ll see what happens there. 😊

As for her next scans, we will be heading back in November. Until then, we’re just going to enjoy these good moments and keep moving forward! 💛✨

💛 September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month — and this is personal. 💛

When people hear the words childhood cancer, they may think about a child being sick, going through treatment, and eventually getting better. But as a mom who has lived this journey, I can tell you that childhood cancer affects so much more than just the child.

On November 9, 2022, our world changed when Janiya was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma.

She was just a little girl.

From that moment on, life became appointments, scans, treatments, radiation, hospital stays, medications, procedures, waiting for results, and trying to make sense of something no parent should ever have to face.

But childhood cancer doesn’t just affect the child.

It affects their siblings who have to watch their sister go through things they don’t always understand. It affects grandparents, cousins, friends, teachers, and everyone who loves that child.

It changes family plans. It changes routines. It changes priorities.

There are birthdays celebrated differently. Holidays spent worrying about the next scan. Vacations planned around appointments. Nights spent awake wondering what the next test will show.

And even when treatment ends, the fear doesn’t always end.

Every scan can bring that familiar knot in your stomach. Every ache, pain, cough, headache, or unusual symptom can make your mind go right back to what if?

People see a child who is smiling, playing, laughing and living life—and they may not see everything that child and their family have been through to get there.

That’s why awareness matters.

Childhood cancer is not rare to the families living it.

And children should not have to fight for their lives.

This month, I ask you to do more than wear gold. 💛

Learn. Share. Talk about childhood cancer. Support pediatric cancer research. Support families. Remember the children who are still fighting and the ones who didn’t get the chance to grow up.

And please remember that behind every diagnosis is a child with a name, a family who loves them, and a story that deserves to be heard.

For us, that child is Janiya. 💛

She is so much more than her cancer diagnosis. She is strong. She is funny. She is stubborn. She loves being outside and being active. She is a sister, a granddaughter, a friend, and a little girl who simply deserves the chance to grow up and experience everything life has to offer.

So this September, we Go Gold for Janiya—and for every child fighting childhood cancer. 💛🎗️

Because childhood cancer changes lives. And awareness can help change the future.

September is almost here!

Today is results day, and we couldn’t be happier!

The pathology results are back, and the spot was NOT cancer! ❤️

We are beyond thankful and incredibly relieved. Janiya won’t need any more treatment or chemo, and she is SO excited!

Thank you to everyone who has prayed, checked in, sent messages, and supported our family through this journey. Your love has meant more than you’ll ever know.

Today, we celebrate this amazing news and look forward to getting back to being a kid! 💜🎉

Day 5… Finally HOME!!

After five days in the hospital, Janiya has officially been released! 🎉

Her drainage was very minimal overnight and again this morning, so the doctors felt comfortable sending us home.

Now it’s time for some much-needed rest, healing, and getting back into the comfort of home. If you know Janiya, you know she doesn’t stay down for long. She’s already feeling so much better, and we’re sure she’ll be back to her happy, busy self in no time.

Thank you to everyone who has prayed for her, sent messages, visited, and kept our family in your thoughts. Your love and support have helped us through these last few days more than you know.

Now we continue healing at home while we wait for the pathology results. One step closer. ❤️

Day 3 Update 💜

Today was a bit of a rough one, but Janiya was able to get a lot more rest, which was much needed. Between the pain, nausea, and headaches, it definitely wasn’t the easiest day. But we made it through, and she’s finally resting and getting some good sleep tonight.

We also had the chance to see one of Janiya’s Child Life Specialists from when she was going through chemo. It was so good to see a familiar face and catch up. ❤️

Janiya was getting pretty lonesome, so she had a few special visitors today. Sissy stopped by and brought her a balloon that’s literally the size of her! 🎈 Grandma also came to visit and brought Panda Express because, let’s be honest, she was getting pretty tired of the hospital food. 😂

This morning the doctors came in to check on her while I was still half asleep. They said they’d be back… but forgot to mention they were bringing two more doctors with them! 😅 Before I knew it, there were four doctors in the room. One sat and talked with me while the others checked her chest tube. That’s when they discovered there was a hole in the tubing, which meant the machine wasn’t giving accurate readings. They made a plan, left for a bit, and came back this afternoon to replace the tubing and get everything working correctly. Thankfully, the machine is now reading the way it should.

Tomorrow morning they’ll repeat her chest X-ray to make sure everything still looks good. If all goes well, we’re hoping the chest tube can finally come out tomorrow afternoon! 🤞

Thank you to everyone who’s been checking in, praying, sending messages, and keeping Janiya smiling. Every bit of support means so much to us. Please keep the prayers coming as we hope tomorrow brings another big step forward. ❤️

Day 2 of recovery! 💕

Janiya has been doing really well! She is definitely starting to go stir crazy having to stay in bed and not move very far because she’s hooked up to all the things. 😂 She has made a few trips from the bed to the chair, and the doctor actually wants her getting up and moving around, which is good!

Anyone who knows Janiya knows this girl does NOT do well with sitting still! 😂 So being stuck in one spot is definitely not her favorite thing right now.

She has been keeping herself busy, though! She’s been coloring, painting, drawing pictures, and even played Bingo. Well… I played Bingo for her and she won! 🤣 She got the prize, so I guess that counts! She only played one round, won, and then decided she was done and moved on to the next activity. That sounds about right for Janiya! 😂

She has also called all of her siblings, cousins, and Grandma multiple times because she’s bored. 😂📱 I think she has officially made it her mission to keep everyone entertained while she’s stuck in the hospital! It definitely kept her busy for a while.

The Dude from Children’s also brought her a prize and took one of her drawings to be shown on the TV, so she is super excited to see that! 🥰

Overall, she is doing really well, staying in good spirits, and keeping us all entertained. We are so thankful for how well she’s recovering so far! 💕🙏

One day at a time, sweet girl. You’ve got this! 💪💕

Today was surgery day!!!! 💗

Janiya’s surgery lasted about 3 hours, and we are so happy to say that surgery went well! The surgeon was able to get the spot they had seen on the CT scan, and he was very positive that he got all of it. 🙏🏼

Now comes the hardest part… the waiting. We are waiting for the pathology/testing results, which we are hopefully expecting by Monday. 🤞🏼 Until then, we are trying to take things one step at a time and focus on the good news we have today.

Janiya is doing fairly well. She has some pain, but she is getting medication to keep her comfortable, which has been helping. She will remain inpatient until they can get her chest tube out, and we are hoping that happens quickly so she can have a nice, short hospital stay and get back home. 🏡💕

We are so incredibly proud of this girl. She has been through so much, and once again she is showing us just how strong she is. 💪🏼💗🎗️

Janiya had her scan review today. The weather was a little crazy with snow and sleet on the way there and sunshine on the way back but we made it safely — with a special stop to see our EP Rock friends, who we miss so much. Janiya was so happy to see them, and that truly meant a lot. 💜

Overall, it was a good appointment. Along with her routine MRIs, they also did an MRI of her brain because her migraines have been becoming more frequent over the last few months. We are so thankful that all of the MRIs — including the brain MRI — came back completely clear.

The CT scan still shows the same spot they’ve been monitoring, but there have been no changes. The doctors continue to feel that the spot looks more consistent with an infection rather than disease, which is reassuring.

Because her migraines have been increasing, her team wants to be extra thorough. They’re referring us to a different eye doctor for another evaluation and sending us back to neurology to make sure nothing is being overlooked and to help find better ways to manage her pain and get her some relief.

We’re very grateful for clear MRIs and for a medical team that is being proactive and cautious. Please continue to keep Janiya in your thoughts as we work toward answers and relief for her. Thank you all for the continued love and support — it truly means so much to us 💛