Finding Light in the Darkness 

Small moments can make a big difference.  

Grace Hilton, 20, loved to celebrate important moments with her best friend, Kylee Googe. They met at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital where they were patients. 

“We found ways to celebrate the small things even if the overall picture wasn’t the best,” Grace says. “We were able to be kids and find the joy in small things.” 

The two loved to make customized stuffed animals. They made different animals to celebrate milestones. The first one was for being diagnosed. They celebrated the end of chemo and the end of radiation. It was a way of focusing on what was good about life.

“Every chance we could, we would hang out, get lunch or dinner, or make our stuffed bears,” Grace says. “We were trying to remember that we were 17 and not just cancer patients. I feel like a lot of people forget that we’re still human. We’re not just pincushions. When you become a cancer patient, it changes your life completely.”  

Then Kylee died in April 2024. 

After it happened, Grace made two matching monkeys, one for Kylee and one for herself. Each stuffed monkey had a Supergirl outfit and a game controller. 

“Kylee was my personal superhero and the sweetest person you would ever meet until you were competing with her on one of her video games,” Grace says. 

Kylee was buried with the monkey Grace made for her. It was their final milestone.  

“It was my way of making another memory for us,” Grace says. “Making memories is important.” 

Even in the darkness, there is always hope, she says. 

“It's like finding the light at the end of the tunnel,” Grace says. “Even though it's so hard, once you find it, you can bring some light into your life.”