Facing terminal cancer, young Baylor alum dedicates herself to serving & sharing the Gospel
Two years ago this spring, Kiley Burnett, MSCD ’14, was a graduate student in Baylor’s Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, fulfilling her last credit requirement at an internship in St. Louis, when she got a potentially life-plan-ending diagnosis: brain cancer.
Specifically, Kiley was told she had stage 4 glioblastoma. It meant immediate surgery, chemotherapy, and even temporarily losing movement in half her body. But over the next year, she slowly and steadily improved — enough to attend her graduation ceremony.
“Baylor stepped up and provided the funding for Kiley to make the trip to Waco for graduation in an RV … so she would be able to lay down and be protected from germs while on the trip,” says Kiley’s mother, Sheri. “To accept her diploma, Kiley was able to get out of her wheelchair and walk unassisted across the stage — a beautiful moment we as a family will never forget.”
Throughout her battle with cancer, Kiley has been determined to not let it affect God’s plans for her. Even before her diagnosis, she loved mission work; to date, she has served in Romania, Kenya, Ecuador, Brazil, Kosovo, Puerto Rico, Arkansas, Florida, Mississippi and Missouri. And as her health allowed, she continued to volunteer at women’s health organizations and centers for children with communication deficits. She accepted a job as a speech therapist in St. Louis. She even got married; she and her husband, Curtis Stuesse, considered moving to Nepal for more missionary work. And when doctors told her she had only one treatment option left — with less than a 10% chance of working — Kiley told them that instead of more treatment, she wanted to travel the world and tell people about God.
That’s where Your Mission Matters came in. Founder Mike Grober had been trying to come up with a plan for a mission campus in Izcuchaka, Peru, when he heard Kiley’s story. In that moment, God’s plan for both of them became clear; she was the exact embodiment of the goals of the mission campus. Grober has since been telling her story to raise funds for the Kiley Stuesse Mission Center.
“Kiley loved her time at Baylor,” says her mother. “She loved the sense of family coupled with the excellence in education. … The love and support you have given to her since she was diagnosed has been unprecedented. [Baylor] accommodated her in every way to make it possible for her to graduate. … We will never be able to explain what your support has meant to us over these past two years.
“We hope that Kiley’s story inspires others, but most importantly, shows how deep God’s love is for his people. Kiley was and is a truly passionate servant of Jesus. Partnered with her passion, this institution shows the example of how service and education can impact the world in the image and likeness of Jesus.”
Sic ’em, Kiley!
[3/5/16 update: Kiley went to be with Jesus last night. Please pray for her family and friends in this time.]