A loving mother. An impactful educator. A community leader. All this, wrapped up in an infectious smile.
That’s how those touched by the life of Kayla Christian describe her. Christian, a preschool teacher at Grace Early Learning Center in Georgetown, Kentucky, died in November from breast cancer at the age of 33. The beloved teacher leaves behind not just her students, but her 9-year-old son Wyatt, as well
Brent Guiliani, Christian’s friend and parent of one of her students, says she was a special person.
He told LEX18 in Lexington, “She had one of the best personalities I could ever imagine. She was always beaming. If she was smiling, you, your kids, everybody was smiling, too. It was infectious.”
He said she treated his kids like they were her own, always showing love and kindness and lighting their way.
Christian continued inspiring kids despite health difficulties, which began in 2017 when she was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 29. The disease later went into remission, but it came back in 2020. She passed away months after it became increasingly aggressive.
Her death has been rough for her colleagues at Grace Early Learning Center.
Soon after she died, the school wrote in a Facebook post, “It’s with a heavy heart that we inform you that one of our own, Ms. Kayla Christian, has went to be with our Heavenly Father… Ms. Kayla dedicated her last 10 years to serving the many families and children at Grace Early Learning Center. She was one of the best and loved every child as her own. We were blessed to have known her and have her on our team.”
They encouraged families to lift up and pray for her family. The school also set up an account to help with funeral expenses and cover a college fund for Wyatt, who friends say was the main reason she fought the disease so hard. She wanted to be there for him as long as possible.
Guiliani says, “Wyatt lit up her life. You just say the name Wyatt in front of her and she starts smiling.”
For more on this family’s story and to learn how you can help, watch the video from LEX18 below.