Indianapolis mom honoring late daughter by raising awareness for sarcoma
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — When Lakisha Lately found out her daughter Destini Fuqua was diagnosed with clear cell sarcoma, she was ready for a fight.
They fought for nine months with the help of family and friends like the ones at Avondale Meadows Middle School.
“We took this opportunity to support her as a family would,” AMMS principal Chrystal Westerhaus said. “We sold items throughout the year to raise money, key chains and we sold them every day. My favorite thing was the blanket that we made for her with all of our spirit shirts.”
Every gift and every fundraiser was sending Destini a message: She wasn’t alone in her battle.
“They’re always family here,” Westerhaus said. “The Lately [and] Fuqua family is always here for them and we’re never gonna leave their side.”
When doctors sent Destini home saying there was nothing more they could do, she kept fighting until she died in May.
After being with her daughter until the very end, Lately was out to get supplies for Destini’s treatment and could only see her on FaceTime when she took her last breath.
“I wanted to be there,” Lately said. “I wanted to be there with her when she took her last breath, not knowing when it was going to be. I didn’t know it was going to be that day.”
Despite the sadness, she swells with pride when she thinks of her daughter. Destini’s spirit impacted many and that’s a legacy Lately wants to continue by increasing awareness about clear cell sarcoma.
“Sarcomas are one percent of the cancers [and] this type of cancer is one percent of the sarcomas,” Lately said. She remembered by the time Destini was diagnosed, the cancer was already attacking her body in four different areas.
“The disease is known to spread,” she said. “Once it’s spread it’s really hard to survive it.”
After Destini died, Lately held a birthday celebration with her favorite colors. One just happened to be yellow, which is the color of sarcoma awareness. That gave her all the motivation she needed to decide on her next move.
“I want to do this foundation so we can get answers and help people, patients who are going through it now and patients who may have it in the future,” Lately said. “To keep her name living and keep it alive.”
The work has already started with a nonprofit organization called Sara’s Cure. On their Facebook page, they have a place to donate and help raise money for clear cell sarcoma treatment and research in Destini’s name.
Click here to donate or find out how to get involved.