12-year-old who inspired thousands passes away from brain cancer

A Destrehan girl who inspired thousands during her battle with brain cancer through her Facebook page passed away on Saturday.

Caryn Tucker, 12, was diagnosed with gilomatosis cerebri in November 2011. The disease is hard to treat because there is no solid mass or tumor for the doctor to see and the cancer instead spreads like a spider’s web throughout the brain, making it inoperable.

Caryn’s family released a statement on her Facebook page, Prayers for Caryn, thanking all those who invested their time in prayer.

"Caryn went home to be with her Jesus at 1:28 p.m. After battling with this nasty disease for 19 months, she fell into a painless sleep," the statement said. "She has effectively been healed of cancer and no longer lives in pain and on constant medication. Her life was made an open book due to her illness, but the illness was never the focal point of her life on earth, God was."

Before her death, Caryn spent time with her family in Disney World, where she drew the attention of all the beloved characters that inhabit the Disney kingdom. Caryn started a non-profit organization whose donations assisted her in her fight and with her treatments. The organization, Prayers for Caryn, has more than 12,000 likes on their Facebook page. Caryn’s goal was to drastically increase the size of her organization so that she could help all children fight cancer.