Raygan “Rayray” Batton has a very appropriate name – she is known in her hometown as a sunny “Ray” of sunshine. Bubbly, happy and talkative, with a grown-up vocabulary and an adorable little voice, this 3 year old brings light into the room every time she smiles.

Rayray was a healthy baby who hadn’t had as much as a cold before being diagnosed with cancer when she was 21 months old. Her grandmother felt a lump on the left side of Rayray’s tummy and knew it shouldn't be there.

From the pediatrician’s office, Rayray and her grandmother were sent to the local hospital for X-rays and an ultrasound, and within hours Rayray was admitted to the hospital at the University of Virginia. She was diagnosed with high risk stage IV neuroblastoma.

To treat her cancer, Rayray underwent a ton of procedures, including MRIs, CT scans, multiple sedations for scans and radiation, six rounds of chemo, stem cell transplant, antibody treatment and surgery to remove the tumor.  She was hospitalized several times for neutropenia with fever and was on IV antibiotics for more than six months.  Currently, Rayray has been off treatment for 10 months and her last scans showed that she is still NED (no evidence of disease).

Rayray is her grandmother’s hero because even at her young age, this little free spirit has coped with so much suffering without losing her joy and has been a reminder of how fragile life is, and how we should not take a single minute for granted.

Hero Quote: Raygan's favorite thing to say: “Meme, I'm your HERO...”

Information provided by Donna Abshire, Raygan’s custodial grandmother
Updated: August 2015