Kayla Christian was a devoted mother and teacher, a loyal friend, and a light to those who knew her.
"She had one of the best personalities I could ever imagine," Brent Guiliani, a parent at the school where Kayla taught and a friend, said. "She was always beaming. If she was smiling, you, your kids, everybody was smiling too. It was infectious."
She beamed with positivity even though she was battling breast cancer. The Scott County High School grad was diagnosed at 29 years old in 2017.
She later went into remission, but the cancer came back last year. A close friend said her cancer became more aggressive in recent months and on Friday, she passed away.
Kayla was a teacher at Grace Early Learning Center in Georgetown for 10 years. Two parents turned friends said Kayla is leaving behind a legacy of being a caring and compassionate teacher.
"She's made a huge impact, and she's a leader in the community too because of her passion and love for her children," Shelby Calvin said.
"She treated my children as if they were her own," Guiliani said. "She loved on them, she showed them grace, she was always a light to them."
Above all, Kayla's love for her 9-year-old son Wyatt was never-ending. Kayla's closest friends tell LEX18 that she fought fiercely against her cancer so she could stay with him as long as possible.
"Wyatt lit up her life," Guiliani said. "You just say the name Wyatt in front of her and she starts smiling."
While she's gone now, the love she has for Wyatt will live on forever. And the love the community has for her, will too.
Anyone who would like to donate to Kayla's family can do sohere.
Funds will go toward funeral expenses and then to a college fund for Wyatt.
