Mom Recalls Watching 6-Year-Old Daughter ‘Fade Away’ After ‘Flu-Like’ Symptoms Lead to Devastating Diagnosis (Exclusive)

NEED TO KNOW

• At age 4, Kiersten Peterson’s daughter, Aspen, was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer after experiencing concerning “flu-like” symptoms

• Over two years later, in February 2026, a video of Aspen sitting in the backseat of Peterson’s car amassed over 2 million views

• The 40-second clip was meant to highlight and document her daughter’s energy and light before her diagnosis

In February 2026, Kiersten Peterson shared a deeply personal video of her late 6-year-old daughter, Aspen, before and after cancer changed her young life.

Although the video captured the physical toll of Aspen’s diagnosis, it also reminded viewers of the vibrant spirit that existed before the illness.

“[My daughter] continued to have her sense of humor and refused to let her sickness dull her light,” Peterson tells PEOPLE exclusively. “She was the sweetest, most caring little girl and lit up everyone’s world she stepped into.”

That bright spirit carried Aspen through a cancer journey that began with what seemed like a routine illness. Shortly after a family trip to Iowa in the summer of 2023, the then 4-year-old started experiencing “flu-like symptoms.” Peterson repeatedly sought medical help as her daughter’s condition worsened.

“I took her to the [emergency room] multiple times and her pediatrician when she started getting worse,” the mother of two recalls. But when Aspen suddenly lost vision in one eye, Peterson sought further answers.

“I took her to an eye doctor after her pediatrician said it was just from the flu virus getting into her eye,” she recalls. “The eye doctor wanted to do a CT scan of her head and that’s when they found the tumor.”

In July 2023, Aspen was diagnosed with stage 4 rhabdomyosarcoma — a rare and aggressive form of cancer of the muscles that is most commonly found in children.

Aspen’s treatment journey initially began in Jacksonville, Fla., but after deciding she needed more aggressive care, Peterson and her kids moved to Boston in September 2023.

“She completed her treatment up there and was in remission for 10 months before her routine scans showed she had relapsed and it had spread through her lungs and lymph nodes,” Peterson explains.

The relapse marked the beginning of another difficult round of treatment for Aspen, who endured another round of intensive chemotherapy through August 2025. Unfortunately, the treatment began taking a devastating toll on her body and left her intubated in an intensive care unit (ICU).

“I then had to make a decision with her doctors to put [Aspen] on hospice and end chemotherapy as the treatment was hurting more than helping,” Peterson says.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Despite the physical changes brought by cancer and its treatments, Peterson worked tirelessly to make sure her daughter continued to enjoy her childhood.

“I always tried to make her feel normal,” she says. “I would take her everywhere, we would do everything together and I would try to let her go to school and doing small things herself to let her have her independence.”

Nevertheless, watching her daughter “fade away” became the most painful chapter of the journey. “Going from doing absolutely everything for my baby girl to feeling helpless and not being able to do anything for her other than try to keep her comfortable and give her the most normalcy she could have these last few months,” Peterson admits, was heartbreaking.

Throughout it all, the 30-year-old balanced the responsibilities of raising two children while navigating the unimaginable reality of her daughter’s illness. She says support from loved ones, her community and even strangers online helped carry the family through its hardest days.

“It’s the little things that matter. Even the daily phone calls to my cousin and best friends have made the biggest difference,” Peterson emphasizes. “I also live in a small town and so many people have shown up and supported Aspen and I am so grateful for their support. My TikTok following comments mean the world to me, too, just knowing people who don’t even know us are praying for us.”

Unfortunately, Aspen died on March 3, 2026, at just 6 years old. Though Peterson was well aware of her daughter’s reality, the loss still felt impossible to prepare for.

“You can never truly prepare for the death of your child and watching them suffer while also remaining strong,” Peterson tells PEOPLE.

Thankfully, their everyday moments together became some of the most meaningful memories for Peterson. “Being able to look in my rear view mirror and seeing her in her car seat looking back at me. Being able to spend so much quality mama-daughter time, I am eternally grateful for,” she emphasizes. “I will forever miss my daughter and best friend.”

In the wake of Aspen’s death, Peterson says her focus now remains on caring for her son and honoring the love she shared with her daughter.

“If I’m being completely honest, I’m not doing much to take care of myself, but I am so thankful for my friends and my son,” she shares. “I have a reason to wake up every morning to take care of Aspen’s brother and I thank God for giving me him. I think He knew I would need him during this difficult time.”

And for parents facing similar battles, Peterson offers a message born from heartbreak and love. “Don’t let [death] lose your faith in God,” she says. “Spend as much time as possible with your kids, it’s a love like no other and the only thing that truly matters.”

Read the original article on People