In Loving Memory of Kathy Colunga-Rosales

Kathy Colunga-Rosales was born on October 24, 2010, to her father, Guillermo, and her mother, Maricela. She attended Lilburn Elementary School since Kindergarten and was known by many to be a shining example of goodness and love. She was a blessing to all who knew her.

This past October, right before she turned 9 years old, she started to exhibit strange symptoms. Concerned, her mother took her to the pediatrician. They soon were shocked and horrified to learn that Kathy had an inoperable brain tumor. However, Kathy was a fighter and endured 6 weeks of daily radiation treatments. The radiation helped reduce the tumor and enabled her to eventually return to school. She loved coming to Lilburn Elementary and everyone was so happy to see her return. She especially enjoyed going on our class field trip to the Atlanta Botanical Gardens in early March.

When Covid-19 required an immediate shift to distance learning, Kathy remained faithful to her classwork and almost always joined our daily class Zoom. However, we heard from her family members that her condition was starting to decline. 

On Saturday, June 7, 2020, Kathy suddenly had great difficulty breathing. In a panic, she was rushed to the emergency room at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. She was intubated and stabilized, but the doctor told the parents that she would not wake up. Her father told the doctor not to say that and that he was a man of faith. When he held her hand he felt her squeeze his. He says that he could tell that she was trying to open her eyes.

On Monday morning, a miracle seemed to occur. Kathy woke up and could communicate to her parents with gestures. The doctors planned to conduct an MRI to locate the exact location of the tumor so that they could focus the radiation on that area.

 On Wednesday, June 10, 2020, Kathy's condition suddenly turned for the worse the final time. She passed around 8 pm, surrounded by her immediate family. The tumor was impacting her ability to breathe and her condition deteriorated quickly as a result. Unable to fight anymore, she was finally at peace.

Kathy is survived by her parents, Guillermo Colunga and Maricela Rosales, and her sisters, Jazdelyn and Nathaly. They wish to bury her near the family so that they can visit her grave often. Unfortunately, the cost for a resting place and burial will cost $15,000. This amount has to be paid upfront. As you can imagine, this added stress on the family right now is extremely unfortunate. 

If you are able to help out in any way monetarily, the family would be very grateful. Additionally, your prayers are requested. Finally, if you can pass the word around to those who may be able to help, please feel free to. Thank you for helping this family in great need at this most painful time.