After spending her short life bravely and happily overcoming genetic hearing loss and battling a cancer diagnosis, 9-month-old Francesca “Bean” Kaczynski, daughter of CNN journalist Andrew Kaczynski and Wall reporter Street Journal Rachel Louise Ensign died of cancer complications. Christmas night.
“We are heartbroken to have to announce our beautiful daughter Francesca, who died last night in the arms of her mother and father,” he tweeted Kaczynski, who recounted Bean’s battle against cancer on the platform. “There will always be a bean-sized hole in our hearts. We are so grateful to have known your love.”
A GoFundMe that was launched for “Team Beans” in September has amassed more than $ 115,000. Instead of flowers, food or gifts of any kind, the family he asked that donations be made in honor of Francesca to a bicycle collection that will donate all proceeds to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Kaczynski has also tweeted that people can donate blood or platelets to a Boston children’s hospital, where Bean was treated with “remarkable love and kindness,” he wrote in a media release about his passing.
During the nine months he lived on Earth, Bean showed himself to be an “outgoing, daring, and curious baby,” a big fan of eating, Elmo, and being locked up at night, Kaczynski wrote in the heartbreaking article. “A Brooklyn-based Sesame Street fan, Francesca enjoyed taking long walks around New York City and Boston, playing with her toys and balloons, attending speech therapy, and‘ stroking ’(i.e., grabbing) to his cat Ryland, “he continued. “His many smiles provoked an emotion around the world. She was so generous with them, even when most of the smiles were covered in masks. ”
Although her life was interrupted by cancer, Bean managed to spread a lot of joy during the short time she lasted here, including her doctors and nurses who “would burst with joy when they saw her smile.” He “showed his parents a kind of love they never knew before and will never forget” and inspired thousands of people through Kaczynski’s candid online updates, which received a wave of support, prayers and love.