About a month ago, Brylee Perez was taken to the doctor because her face was hurting. Within the week, the family found out that their 9 year old daughter had been re-diagnosed with Langerhans cell histiocytosis.

Langerhans cell histiocytosis is a rare form of cancer that occurs when the body produces too many Langerhans cells or histiocytes which is a type of white blood cell meant to target infection. In people with LCH, the cells multiply too quickly and build up in the body causing tumors.

About a year ago, she went to the doctor to address a pain in her elbow. They later found out that she had a tumor, which they were able to remove. However, this time she will have to undergo chemo treatments which will continue for about a year.

“I mean it’s changed our life,” Brian Perez, an eleventh grade baseball player at Cy Falls said. “We have to do things differently now, we have to eat differently. Now my sister has to take school at home, and yeah, it’s affected us.”

When the team found out, the team captains contacted their coach, Christopher Laird, and asked what they could do to help. The team took a field trip during the athletic period to go and see Brylee. They brought her balloons, candy and teddy bears. The baseball team is doing everything they can to help the Perez family.

“We have already had Team Brylee shirts made and all of the proceeds from that will go to their family to help with costs,” Laird says. “We are going to have some fundraisers and events throughout the rest of the year to help their family.”

Despite the circumstances, the Cy Falls baseball team is closer than ever. They often compare being a part of the team to being a part of a family.

“It’s a bad situation, but we all have to help him out,” Raul Segura, a 12 grader on the baseball team, says. “ It kind of just brings us closer cause tragedy always does that.”

Despite the hard time, friends and teammates are pulling together to do whatever they can to help. A friend of the mom even started a GoFundMe. Through all of this the surrounding community has found a way to be a strong support for the Perez Family.