New England Patriots beat reporter Doug Kyed recently announced that his 2-year-old daughter, Hallie, died after a battle with leukemia. Kyed said she battled for nine months and had a successful transplant in October, but she “relapsed” after a bone marrow transplant. The Boston Herald writer said Hallie’s chemotherapy was “ineffective” and “her aggressive form of leukemia had grown out of control by the time she started a trial treatment.”

Kyed said he and his wife, Jen, held their daughter’s hand in bed while she died in her sleep. In an Instagram post that included family photos with Hallie, he wrote, “We’re completely lost and heartbroken without Hallie. Our lives will never be the same. Hallie was a special kid, and she made a positive impact on so many people she met. We were lucky to be her parents, and [older daughter] Olivia was fortunate to have the best baby sister.”

He continued,  “The world is a worse place without Hallie in it. If you can take anything from Hallie today, it’s to know exactly what you want and to be persistent in asking for it, whether it’s going on a walk, ride in the car or wearing one particular Disney dress (usually Cruella). I’ll miss rubbing her hair and kissing her head and telling her I love her the most.”

 

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Kyed said doctors did “everything they could” to help his daughter. “There is a giant hole in my heart, and the pain is excruciating, but she was such a special little person, and I’m so grateful I had her in my life and got to love her and be her mom,” Jen wrote in her own post.

She continued, “I don’t know how any of this works. I hope she woke up in an alternate universe with other versions of us, and she lives a beautiful life.” The family will hold a wake and a private funeral. Kyed said, “Wear whatever you’d like. Hallie loved pink and sparkles and wouldn’t care about black.”