Kairi Broadhead
Kairi Broadhead was born on March 31 to mom Kristi and dad Chyenne, landing perfectly in their large family of five, soon to be six kids! Kairi is 6 years old and full of life, personality, and spark. She is thoughtful, determined, and deeply caring. She does her best in everything she tries, listens attentively, and truly loves learning. She often goes above and beyond expectations and naturally looks for ways to help others, making a meaningful impact on every person she meets.
She cares very deeply about people and the world around her. Kairi resonates strongly with honesty, truth, and purpose, and carries a quiet sense of identity as a Cherokee Nation citizen that is important to her and her family. She has been homeschooled and has already advanced academically, having skipped two grades due to her love of learning and ability to grasp concepts quickly.
She loves anything creative—coloring, crafts, and expressive play—and she takes pride in the things she creates. Kairi also has a playful sense of humor and loves to make people laugh. Even through everything she has been through medically, her personality still shines through in small, beautiful ways every day.
Diagnosis
The first concerning signs were Kairi saying she was seeing double vision. Shortly after, they noticed her eyes beginning to cross. Her balance became off, and she started tripping more frequently. Over a very short period of time—about a month—her family saw rapid changes including dragging her left leg, and her left arm and her hand becoming increasingly weak and almost unusable.
These symptoms progressed quickly, leading the Broadhead family to seek medical evaluation and imaging. After scans and testing, Kairi was diagnosed with DIPG (Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma) on January 22, 2026.
Before this diagnosis, their family had never heard of DIPG. Like many families, we were suddenly introduced to a rare and devastating childhood brain tumor with very limited treatment options and a 0% survival rate.
Finding help has been overwhelming at times, but we have been grateful for the guidance of medical teams, specialists, and organizations who have helped us navigate the next steps. Every decision has required learning quickly in an unfamiliar and heartbreaking world.
Kairi is deeply loved by her parents, siblings, grandparents, cousins, and extended family. Her family has rallied around her in powerful ways, providing constant support, care, and presence throughout her diagnosis and treatment journey. Her siblings have been especially important in her world—offering comfort, distraction, laughter, and unconditional love. Her parents are her strongest advocates, navigating medical decisions, appointments, and daily care while doing everything possible to protect her comfort and childhood.
The support system around Kairi has been both expected and unexpected. Some people have shown up in ways that have been deeply moving, while others have surprised the family with their compassion, generosity, and willingness to help during such a difficult time.
We are sharing Kairi’s story because no family should have to face DIPG alone, and because awareness matters. Behind every diagnosis is a real child, a real family, and a real life that deserves hope, support, and continued research.
