Celebrating Morgan, On The Day She Would Have Turned 17: '8 Birthdays Without Our Brave, Beautiful Girl'

NORTH FORK, NY — If only life were different, Morgan West would have turned 17 on Wednesday — she'd have been learning to drive and thinking about prom and colleges, her whole life a bright vision, sparkling before her.

But Morgan left hearts forever broken after she died in 2018 when she was just 9 years old, following a long battle with cancer. Morgan was diagnosed on September 16, 2011 at the age of 2 1/2 with a Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG), an inoperable brainstem tumor, her family said.

On Wednesday, Morgan's parents Nikki and Adam remembered their beautiful girl.

"Happy 17th Birthday, Morgan!" they wrote on Facebook. "Trying to imagine you driving and all I can see is this sweet little face laughing at me. Keep your star shining bright, peanut! We love you to the and and back, to infinity and beyond, forever and ever!"

Along with Morgan’s birthday, the Wests said on their Facebook page, "Helping Hands 4 Morgan", comes an annual February fundraising event for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

The fundraiser, they said, is "a way for us to celebrate Morgan every year and to remember her magical life and the legacy she left behind. She should have turned 17 this year, instead, because of cancer, she will forever be 9."

Her parents added: "Today marks eight birthdays without our brave, beautiful girl."

The fundraiser is organized to help other children fighting devastating battles. "Please consider donating $17 for Morgan’s 17th Birthday," the Wests said.

To donate, click here.

"Since starting this annual tradition in 2019, we have successfully raised $38,420 for the kids at St. Jude. We love you, Morgan," they said. "We carry you with us every single day and we will never stop fighting to end childhood cancer. Thank you for all the continued love and support!"

A third-grader at Cutchogue Elementary School, Morgan loved Pooh Bear and all things Disney; her annual family trips to Damariscotta Lake, Maine; playing baby dolls with her loving big sister, Hunter; running around laughing with her hilarious little brother, Wyatt; goofing around with all her cousins; sleepovers at her grandparents; her two best friends; playing soccer with the Queen Bees; and most of all, snuggling with her family in her most absolute favorite place to be, home.

On the donation page, her parents explained that Morgan had a DIPG, and, because of its location in the brainstem, it was not only inoperable, but terminal.

"There is no cure for DIPG, in fact, there have been no advances in the last 50+ years," the Wests said. "Once a place only seen to us on commercials, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital became a beacon of hope. The doctors and nurses that took care of Morgan were phenomenal. She was not just a patient to them, but a little girl that they truly cared about."

They added: "St. Jude is a hospital that treats catastrophic illnesses, a hospital that could be filled with sadness and fear, but it is not; St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is a hospital full of incredible people and inspirational families that inspire you to fight and never give up hope. We’ve been in and out of hospitals through the years and we’ve never ever experienced the kindness and care that we got at St. Jude. "

The hospital, they said, "is truly a hospital like no other — they made it possible for us to concentrate all our energy and strength on our sick child rather than how we were going to pay for her treatments and care. We are and always will be forever grateful to St. Jude for the extraordinary care they gave Morgan and our entire family. They gave us the precious gift of time when no other hospital could. Please consider donating to this truly incredible hospital. Your generous donations will help other kids like Morgan and families just like ours and hopefully find a cure for this monster called DIPG."

Also, in the past two years, Adam West, who was a past chairman of the Mattituck Lions Club Strawberry Festival, organized a special event to honor his beloved little girl.

The "Memories for Morgan" event features an hour-early opening to local children challenged with sensory issues, life-threatening illness, or undue hardships, "so they can enjoy the carnival without the pressures of crowds or lines," he said.

"Memories for Morgan," along with the Mattituck Lions Club, partnered with Stony Brook University Hospital's occupational therapy program as well as local occupational therapy practitioners, who volunteered their time and acted as "buddies" for participants and their families, he said.

Speaking with Patch, West said the idea was born when he and his wife Nikki were discussing their Make-A-Wish Foundation experience; the family went to Disney for their Make-A-Wish trip. The organization afforded Morgan the chance to participate in experiences such as an early opening for Make-A- Wish families at Splish Splash.

"We went to this early opening at Splish Splash a couple of times and loved it," Adam said. "The idea for 'Memories for Morgan' was inspired by this experience and wanting to do something similar for our community."

And so, West said he reached out to Reithoffer, a family-owned company that was founded in 1896 and that provides the rides for the festival.

"They're able to lower the lights, the noise, adjust the speed of the machines and the rides," to accommodate kids with unique needs, he said — adding that they agreed right away to help.

When asked what he thought his daughter would say, about the "Memories for Morgan" event, West said: "I hope she's proud."