Art for Hope event honors Kyra Gupta

Alka Kumar calls her daughter Kyra Gupta a warrior, a superhero and the light of her life. Kyra’s father Gautam Kumar will carry on his daughter’s resiliency, kindness and empathy each day.

Kyra, a 12-year-old Mercer Island resident, passed away on Nov. 9, 2025, from a rare type of pediatric cancer called metastatic Ewing sarcoma. The hi-cap student at Islander Middle School and Lakeridge Elementary School was diagnosed in September of 2022.

“I think one big thing which I would carry is her light and her attitude towards refusal to surrender and always keep moving,” Alka said. “I learned from Kyra that no matter what we are going through, we have to just accept it and live the fullest. And just trying to spread the same vibe to other families who are going through whichever form of cancer, whichever kind of struggle they might have.”

Alka, Gautam and copious others are doing so through Kyra’s Hope Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing hope and joy to children and their families undergoing childhood cancer, according to a press release. Established on Nov. 19, 2025, the foundation held an Art for Hope event a month later at the Mercer Island Library during which children created holiday ornaments and courage cards for children undergoing treatment.

Gautam praised his daughter’s compassion for others: “I think as a parent, of course, we have seen that in her for years, right? But I think after she left, it’s become our own passion and our, in one sense, responsibility to carry it forward. And that’s what we are trying to do through this foundation.”

To support patients and their families, the foundation puts forth the three pillars of care, community and cure in providing comfort, joy, financial assistance and more. In 2024, Kyra and her parents launched an initiative that, in part, featured the donation of 64 Boxes of Hope to Seattle Children’s Hospital cancer patients. Kyra led the gift drive that year — thinking of others while she was “going through a lot,” said Alka, adding that the boxes contained sensory toys, a Starbucks card and a note for the patients and their families.

Foundation advisor Shweta Bhatia Gupta was pleased that 60-70 people attended last month’s event, including a plethora of Kyra’s classmates.

“I would say in all, it was a really warm event,” said Gupta, adding that it’s important for children to be aware of what Kyra went through and to build kindness to go in step with the foundation’s goals. “And just understanding what parents go through, it’s just been such a learning (experience) for me. I actually call Kyra my guru, because she’s taught us. She was such a young, smart teacher for us.”

Goals of foundation events are to turn every action into hope, whether it’s art or a run or other activities, “by driving the awareness around this disease and how to gather more support for the families going through this,” Gautam said. The foundation’s plan is to launch Kyra’s research grant with a big fundraising event on her birthday: May 26.

Alka is grateful for the Mercer Island community and the family’s close friends for helping them traverse their tough journey by supplying food and offering support. They want to be there for other families, “starting with our home base, which is Mercer Island — where no family on Mercer Island should feel alone and unsupported,” Alka added.

When thinking about what Kyra enjoyed most about life, Alka said her daughter loved meeting new people — connecting with them and knowing about their life journey. She was compassionate, kind and wanted to help others. She was a light.

“We are making sure that light touches to each and every kid, and they learn to live better in the toughest moment,” Alka said.

For more information, visit: https://www.kyrashope.org/