Kayla’s Story: Hope & Joy Through a Second Cancer Journey

by Nicole Borey, Kayla’s Mom

Kayla is 21 years old, and unfortunately, cancer has been part of her story for most of her life.

When she was just 18 months old, Kayla was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). As a young child, she underwent a cord blood transplant and survived something no child should ever have to face. We thought that chapter of her life was behind us.

Then, in October 2025, at just 20 years old, Kayla was diagnosed with perihilar cholangiocarcinoma (bile duct cancer).

What was originally expected to be surgery turned into the devastating discovery that her cancer was more extensive than anticipated and could not be removed as planned. Since then, she has endured treatment, procedures, hospitalizations, complications, nutritional support with TPN, and more uncertainty than anyone her age should have to carry.

Kayla’s tumor has some unusual molecular characteristics, including MSI-high/dMMR disease, which allowed her doctors to treat her with immunotherapy. She has had a remarkable response in many areas, although her journey is far from over. We are currently facing another concerning lymph node that her doctors are working to understand.

Through everything, Kayla continues to find reasons to smile.

As her mom, one of the hardest parts has been watching my daughter fight cancer for a second time after everything she already survived as a child. But there is so much more to Kayla than cancer.

If you really want to know Kayla, there are three things she absolutely loves: shopping, going to concerts, and collecting Jellycats.

Shopping is one of her favorite things to do. She loves getting out, browsing stores and finding something new. Music and concerts are another huge source of happiness for her. Getting dressed up, going to a concert and having that experience gives her something exciting to look forward to. For a little while, she gets to simply feel like a normal 21-year-old.

And then there are her Jellycats. She loves collecting them, and they have become one of those simple, fun things that bring her a lot of happiness.

Kayla also loves spending time with the people she loves, cooking and baking with me, laughing with family, and making memories whenever she feels well enough. Once Kayla gets her heart set on something, she is incredibly determined. I think that is a big part of how she copes with everything she has been through.

She tries very hard not to let cancer become her entire identity.

When she feels well enough, she wants to get out, shop, go to concerts, do the things she loves and have experiences to look forward to. On the harder days, coping may simply mean resting, being surrounded by family, watching something she enjoys or finding something that makes her laugh. We have learned to appreciate the good days in a completely different way.

We live in East Tennessee and travel approximately three hours each way to Vanderbilt in Nashville for much of Kayla’s cancer care, with additional consultations and care at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. The travel, hospital stays, treatments and day-to-day realities of caring for a young adult with a rare cancer have become a major part of our lives.

Our faith, our family and the support of the people around us have carried us through some incredibly difficult moments.

Kayla has endured more medically than most people experience in a lifetime, but she continues to find reasons to smile, laugh, make plans and look forward to the next thing she wants to do.

Being diagnosed with a rare cancer at 21 can feel incredibly isolating. That is one reason connecting young adults with others who understand what they are going through is so important. Knowing that you are not the only young person facing this disease can make an enormous difference.

We hope that by sharing Kayla’s story, other young adults and families facing cholangiocarcinoma will feel a little less alone. We also hope her story helps raise awareness of the fact that cholangiocarcinoma can affect young adults, too.

Kayla’s story is still being written. And for now, we are grateful for the good days, the laughter, the concerts, the Jellycats, the time with family and every reason we have to keep looking forward.

Follow Kayla’s journey:

Facebook: Kayla’s Story
Instagram: @kaylasstory
TikTok: @kayla_cancer_warrior