Chester, NY - Assemblyman Brian Maher (R,C -Walden) was approached by a nonprofit organization that assists families who have received a cancer diagnosis. Once Maher met 5-year-old Lilly Fernandez, her sister Jailyn, and her parents Heydi and Harry, he began making phone calls and creating a team of support for Lilly and her family.

“The Chester community and the entire Orange County community is a very special place to live and raise a family,” said Maher. “When a local family comes under tough times we always come together to help.This recent cancer diagnosis for Lilly would be devastating for any father, and as a father of three myself, I thought of my own children and decided my team and I would take the lead. Being able to get a phone call that one of my constituents is in need and being in a position to help, is the best part of my job.”

“We are so thankful to have so much assistance from our community and local officials,” said Lily's mother Heydi Fernandez. “We are not the type of people to ask for help and we did not know there were so many people that would be willing to help us in our time of need.We feel so blessed to be getting so many messages of love and support and although our battle ahead will be the toughest of our lives, it feels good to know that we are not alone.”

Lilly is in kindergarten and was just another young child going to school until her whole world and that of her family changed forever. On March 19, 2024, just a few months ago, Lilly came down with a fever. The fever got so bad that Lilly’s mother had to carry her to the bathroom. Lilly was lethargic and seemed tired all the time, sleeping more than usual. Lilly’s parents, Harry and Heydi Fernandez, were concerned and took her to urgent care. First, they tried antibiotics but those did not help, and that’s when Lilly was brought to the emergency room at Garnet Health Medical Center in Orange County, NY.

At the hospital, Lilly was diagnosed with pneumonia in both lungs, and she was put on oxygen. Once the bloodwork results came back Lilly and her family’s world started to crumble. The results revealed that she had anemia, her red and white blood cells were low as well as her platelets. Lilly’s parents were told that she needed to be transferred to another hospital to run tests.

Lilly arrived at Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital on March 26, and in the waning hours of the night, her parents were told that all of her symptoms point to leukemia, which tests later confirmed. Lilly’s parents were absolutely devastated.

“Harry and I remember feeling like we had been hit with a pile of bricks. She had her bone marrow done that day and because Harry had to go to work, I was alone in the room with my baby girl when the oncologist walked in and asked me if I could step out for a few minutes to talk. I looked at my sweet little girl sound asleep with this oxygen mask on and a bag of blood transfusion attached to the IV machine. The official diagnosis: acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). I felt as if the world stopped and it was just me falling into a dark hole,” said Heydi Fernandez, Lilly’s mother.

Lilly has to be in treatment until 2026. She has begun her chemotherapy treatments, and she had to be taken out of school and will not be able to be around her friends and other kids until at least September. The Fernandez family lives in Chester, NY right here in Orange County/Hudson Valley. With a family of four relying only on Lilly’s father’s income as an MTA employee, bills have mounted and now the Fernandez family home is nearing foreclosure. If that wasn’t enough their home received tens of thousands of dollars in damage due to the recent storm where a tornado touched down in Chester.

“Lilly is a spunky, fun and self-described ‘silly’ girl with a love for music, dance and singing. She reminds me so much of my own daughter and I am sure if you are a parent, grandparent, or aunt/uncle, you would absolutely fall in love with her the same way my family and team have,” said Maher. “Their family has gone through so much, and they need our support more than ever during these difficult times.”