Happy Birthday, Sara Beth: Clayton Girl Continues Inspiring Others Through Cancer Journey

CLAYTON, N.C. — When yearbook signing day arrived at LifeSpring Academy, Sara Beth Bagley’s mother expected to see students exchanging signatures and saying goodbye for the summer. One of the school’s traditions is gathering all students – from kindergarten through 12th grade – in one place to sign yearbooks and celebrate friendships that have formed across grade levels throughout the year.

What she didn’t expect was to find a line of students waiting for Sara Beth – stretching from her second grade classmates all the way up through high school students.

“By the time I got to the school, there was a line of kids waiting for Sara Beth to sign their yearbooks,” recalled her mother, Rachel Bagley. “I thought that was so precious.”

For most parents, it would be a heartwarming memory.

For the Bagley family, it was something even more special.

Today, June 16, Sara Beth celebrates her seventh birthday after spending nearly her entire life fighting a rare brain tumor.

Diagnosed at just four months old, Sara Beth has endured almost seven years of cancer treatments, two brain surgeries, hearing loss, vision challenges and countless medical appointments. Yet family members, friends and classmates know her not for her illness, but for her smile, determination and joyful spirit.

The family’s journey began when Rachel noticed one of Sara Beth’s eyes turning inward.

Concerned, they took their infant daughter to an ophthalmologist, who recommended an MRI. The scan led to devastating news.

Doctors discovered a rare brain tumor.

Differing opinions at major children’s hospitals resulted in the tumor being identified as either a ganglioglioma or a pilocytic astrocytoma, two forms of low-grade glioma. While low-grade gliomas typically grow more slowly than other brain cancers, they can still cause significant medical complications depending on where they develop in the brain.

Her tumor is at the base of her brainstem and is considered inoperable, since even minor surgical intervention carries extreme risk.

For Sara Beth, the diagnosis marked the beginning of a fight that continues today.

Her first year of treatment involved traditional chemotherapy, port infusions and powerful medications designed to stop the tumor’s growth.

The treatments helped fight the cancer and even started shrinking the tumor, but came with lasting side effects.

One of those side effects was permanent hearing loss.

“Once we realized she was developing permanent hearing loss, we switched to another drug,” Rachel said.

Today, Sara Beth wears hearing aids and continues to adapt to the challenges created by both the tumor and its treatment.

She has undergone two brain surgeries and lives with low vision, including blind spots and reduced lower-field vision. In new environments, she requires a cane to help navigate independently.

Despite those obstacles, Sara Beth embraces life with the enthusiasm of any seven-year-old.

This month alone has been filled with memorable milestones.

She recently performed in her first dance recital, an accomplishment her family proudly celebrated. The studio awarded her a medal for “Most Improved” out of all the dancers at the recital, saying that the decision was unanimous among the instructors because of Sara Beth’s hard work and focus.

Last Friday, friends and family gathered at Bethesda Church for a birthday party fit for royalty.

Sara Beth chose a queen-themed celebration.

“She was a queen and everyone else was a princess or a knight,” her mother said.

Pink and gold decorations filled the room. Before the party, Sara Beth’s grandmother took her to a nail salon for the first time, helping prepare the birthday girl for her royal debut.

The celebration reflected the family’s desire to focus on experiences and memories rather than medical appointments and treatments.

Organizations such as the Casey Cares Foundation have helped make those experiences possible. The nonprofit recently provided tickets for Sara Beth and her family to visit the NC Museum of Life and Science in Durham this summer.

Rachel said finding activities that allow Sara Beth to experience things up close is important because of her vision limitations. A recent trip to the zoo proved challenging because many of the animals were simply too far away to see clearly.

Today, Sara Beth continues taking an oral chemotherapy medication two times a day at home. Every three months, she undergoes MRI scans at Duke Hospital so doctors can monitor the tumor and evaluate her treatment.

For more than six years, some form of cancer treatment has been a constant part of Sara Beth’s life.

Through it all, she has had the support of her parents, Adam and Rachel Bagley, and her older brother, Liam, 9.

But if Sara Beth’s classmates see her as anything, it is not a cancer patient.

She’s a friend.

She’s a dancer.

She’s a second grader whose yearbook signature was in high demand.

And today, she’s a birthday girl.

As Sara Beth celebrates her seventh birthday, her family remains focused on giving her every opportunity to enjoy childhood while continuing her fight against cancer.

For one day, however, the focus is on birthday wishes, cake, family, friends and a little girl who wants to be a queen.

Happy 7th Birthday, Sara Beth.

Johnston County is cheering for you.