NEED TO KNOW
Brie Bird’s mom, Kendra, got candid about her grief after her 9-year-old daughter’s death from stage 4 cancer in December
Brie — whose cancer journey was watched by over 1 million followers on Instagram — died on Dec. 11, after living with a recurring form of neuroblastoma cancer for five years
“It feels like panic, disbelief, guilt for breathing, anger at the calendar, and a tenderness so deep it hurts to touch,” wrote Kendra in an emotional Instagram post
Brie Bird’s mom, Kendra, is getting candid about her grief after her 9-year-old daughter’s death from stage 4 cancer in December.
Brie — whose cancer journey was watched by over 1 million followers on Instagram — died on Dec. 11, after living with a recurring form of neuroblastoma cancer for five years. In an Instagram post uploaded on Jan. 6, Kendra shared reflections on taking down her family’s Christmas decorations and the emotions it raised as they continue to process Brie’s death.
“This tree saw her alive,” wrote Kendra in her emotional caption. “It witnessed the last Christmas I’ll ever have with my nine-year-old daughter on earth.”
Brie received her first cancer diagnosis in 2020 after doctors found an 8-centimeter tumor in Brie’s abdomen and cancer that had spread elsewhere in her back. In January 2024 — two years after the family had celebrated that Brie was cancer-free — her neuroblastoma returned, and she entered hospice in July of the following year.
Brielle Bird/Instagram
Brie Bird
In October, after Brie decided to live out the rest of her life from their home in Utah, their family celebrated Christmas two months early, after Kendra shared on Instagram that Brie’s condition “took a turn so quickly.” Their early holiday festivities were complete with Christmas decorations, presents lining their fireplace and a Christmas tree in their living room.
In her Jan. 6 post, Kendra reflected that packing away their Christmas tree “feels like betrayal.”
“It feels like panic, disbelief, guilt for breathing, anger at the calendar, and a tenderness so deep it hurts to touch,” she continued. “I’m not just putting decorations away. I’m touching proof that there was a before. That she was here.”
Wrote Kendra: “If I leave the tree up, part of me believes this isn’t final. If I take it down, the silence gets louder. And yet… this tree did its job. It held her joy for one last Christmas. That makes it sacred.”
Through her Instagram account, Brie’s story of inspiration reached hundreds of thousands of fans throughout the world. And over the summer, it even caught the attention of the cast of Wicked, who surprised her with a care package of goodies and a private screening of the sequel to the hit movie-musical months before its wide release.
Kendra Bird/Instagram
Brie Bird
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In November, on the release date of Wicked: For Good, Kendra shared that the family celebrated the occasion from their home, noting that the date had felt “so far away” when they attended their private screening in September.
“November 21st seemed impossible back in September, but here we are, defying gravity!” she wrote, noting that, because of her daughter’s health status, they wouldn’t be able to see the movie again in theaters.
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