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"I am writing to you about my daughter, Roszetta Bibbs, who has been bravely fighting a brain tumor, multiple harsh side effects, and new, unexpected medical events since 2015. Roszetta was born April 11, 1999 in Nashville,Tennessee. She started playing basketball at the age of four and developed a love for the sport. By her sophomore year in high school, she was being scouted by colleges for basketball, while maintaining straight A’s in her AP (Advanced Placement) classes. Later that year, she started complaining about headaches. She was taken to the doctors multiple times one day, given medicine, and discharged. The next day, she passed out on the court while playing basketball. I took her back to the doctor and they gave her more headache medicine, brushing it off. The headaches continued to become more severe and she began missing school. March 12, 2015  was a day I will never forget- I heard the words no parent wants to hear twice.  After an MRI of Roszetta’s spine and further biopsy testing, doctors confirmed my 15 year old daughter had stage four pineoblastoma brain tumor,  the same type of tumor as my oldest daughter had at age nine. My heart was crushed again. We packed up and moved to Memphis for surgery and treatments at St. Jude’s. During treatment, she had her lows, but appeared to be getting better. Her progress was inspiring. In 2016, her high school basketball team rallied around her and dedicated their championship win in her honor, creating ‘Ro#25’ clothing and gear in support.  After graduating high school from homebound in 2017, she signed up for community college in 2018 and was motivated to further catch up on the knowledge she missed. Then, on March 8, 2018, just before her 19th birthday, Roszetta took a turn for the worst and unexpectedly went into a coma for a month. I constantly prayed my daughter would pull through. When she awoke, we were transferred to Atlanta Children’s Hospital, where she received extensive physical, occupational, and speech therapy. She had lost 2 years of memories, thinking she was 17 years old when she woke up, and had to learn how walk, talk, and do daily life activities all over again. She was also left with extensive visual and hearing impairments, thyroid issues, permanent hair loss, severe daily fatigue. She will have to face additional surgeries in the future for her thyroid and vision. 

Going from being independent in basic life activities, even during the course of brain tumor treatment, to relying on her older sister, younger sister, and myself to help with her basic needs, has taken a toll on her emotionally. She cries multiple times daily and has lost her self confidence along with so many other things. She now needs help with things most of us take for granted such as navigating a restroom, showering herself, and getting herself ready in the morning. She has become socially isolated from her friends and is losing hope of her future. 
My family is also struggling. I am her full-time, primary caregiver and my oldest daughter has also given up her life to take care of her sister. Her 12 year old sister has had to give up so much of her childhood, and now also has to be  frequently monitored for this type of tumor. We are barely able to pay bills and put food on the table, and, have to hide our struggles from Roszetta. When Roszetta has found out we couldn’t pay our electric bill, even with all that she has been through, she offered to use her life savings to help us. She feels like this is her fault. 
Despite all that Roszetta has been through, she continues to want to help others. She continues to love basketball and music, and although unable to play either like she did before her brain tumor and coma, she strives to use them to make a difference in the lives of other children who are hospitalized.  She wants to start a program to help put a smile on other children’s faces, whether it is by delivering a signed sport ball or by encouraging other children to return to activities they used to love, even if they can no longer do them in the same way. 
Please help my daughter in any way that you are able to- helping her start her program to give her a reason to get up and keep pushing, a postcard or shout out to make her smile, or an opportunity to be at a show. I miss her smile and would be grateful for anything you can do."