Community shows support for Lainey Gilstrap, age six, who beat cancer: Easley's Old Market Square is setting for celebration on Saturday morning, July 12
By Karen Brewer, Publisher & Editor
Tyler and Danon Gilstrap with daughters Raegan and Lainey on Saturday, July 12, 2025 before the start of the celebration for Lainey in Easley's Old Market Square. (Photos by Karen Brewer, The Pickens County Chronicle)
A parade, a bell-ringing ceremony, a proclamation from Easley Mayor Lisa Talbert, bounce houses, face painting, balloons, a dj, Scaly Adventures, and much more were part of a celebration the morning of Saturday, July 12, 2025 to celebrate Lainey Gilstrap, age six, who has finished her final cancer treatment and is now cancer free.
Prior to the start of the event Saturday morning, Lainey’s mother, Danon, father, Tyler, and big sister, Raegan, posed with Lainey in a family photo for The Pickens County Chronicle in Easley’s Old Market Square. Danon told The Chronicle, “We are just super thankful and excited for the community to be with us and rally around us, for her to finish her cancer treatments, and be cancer free. We are thrilled for today. It’s just a huge milestone for us. We’re excited.”
The event started at 8:30 a.m. with a first responders parade, which began on West First Avenue near Old Market Square, turning left on Pendleton Street, turning left on Main Street, and then ending back at Old Market Square. Lainey and her family enjoyed a ride in a red Ford Mustang convertible.
A first responders parade with the Pickens County Sheriff's Office, Easley Police Department, and Easley Fire Department and Lainey and her family riding in a red Ford Mustang convertible. (Photos by Karen Brewer, The Pickens County Chronicle)
(Photos by Karen Brewer, The Pickens County Chronicle)
Tyler, Danon, Raegan, and Lainey Gilstrap (Photos by Karen Brewer, The Pickens County Chronicle)
Following the parade, Lainey and her family were welcomed on stage at the amphitheater, where they were introduced to the crowd, and the song “This Is My Fight Song” was played: “This is my fight song / Take back my life song / Prove I’m all right song / My power’s turned on / Starting right now, I’ll be strong / I’ll play my fight song / And I don’t really care if nobody else believes / ‘Cause I’ve still got a lot of fight left in me.”
Danon welcomed everyone on behalf of her family, thanked everyone for coming to the event, and thanked everyone for what she called unimaginable support throughout the journey, without which she and her family would not have gotten through. She then invited to the stage Pickens County Sheriff Tommy Blankenship.
“How about another round of applause for this family,” Blankenship told the crowd. “I couldn’t imagine what you guys have gone through, but the grace, dignity, and the faith that you guys have shown have been an inspiration to us and everybody at the Sheriff’s Office and, I venture to say, our community as a whole.”
Blankenship then prayed for the event. “Let’s praise God this morning in a word of prayer. Dear gracious, heavenly Father, God, we love you. God, we thank you so much for this beautiful day. God, I thank you for this beautiful family. God, I thank you, most of all, that that bell is about to be rung, that cancer has been defeated today. God, we praise you, most of all, for the blood of Jesus Christ shed at Calvary, Lord, for the remission of our sin. God, we praise you for the day that there is no more pain, there is no more sickness. But, today, God, I just ask your blessings on this event. God, I ask your blessings on this family. God, I just pray that everything that we do today brings glory to you. God, I thank you, again, for this family. God, thank you for Lainey, and thank you for her success in her battles. For it’s in Christ Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.”
Pickens County Sheriff Tommy Blankenship speaks and prays at the event at Old Market Square and hugs the Gilstrap family. (Photos by Karen Brewer, The Pickens County Chronicle)
Danon then shared Lainey’s story. “Lainey was born in December of 2018, and, a month after she was born, we had a scare. She was diagnosed with something with her heart called Supraventricular tachycardia. We spent a week in the PICU (Pediatric Intensive Care Unit) and watched her fight for her life.” That time, she said, took 10 years off the lives of her and her husband and family. “She made it through the heart stuff, and we were told that she was going to have to have a heart ablation when she was five years old. Fast forward to four years old, March 20, 2023, which happened to be the worst days of our lives. She woke up that morning with blood blisters under the skin. She was acting lethargic. For about a month, she had not been wanting to eat. She was not playing with her friends at daycare. Her daycare person told us that she was acting strange. We had taken her to the doctor three different times, twice to her pediatrician and once to an urgent care, and they all kept saying it was viral. And I say all that to say if you have a gut feeling that something is wrong, you need to advocate for your child and push for blood work or whatever it is. If we had not done that, the circumstances may be different. We went into the doctor’s office that fourth visit, and we knew that she needed blood, but we didn’t know why. So, we asked them to do blood work, and the blood work started coming back, and we saw it before the doctors even called us. Tyler is a nurse, and we both have some medical background. So, we knew that we had to get her to the ER.”
“We decided it was time to go,” said Tyler, Lainey’s father. “So, we left and headed down the road, and one of the things I asked Danon was what her platelet counts were, and she told me it was eight. I lost it. I didn’t tell Danon. I was driving. I didn’t want the whole car to be hysterical. But we get to the ER, and everything started picking up pace. Within two hours, we were from the ER to a room, and they were already talking about port access and going through the process and everything. That was scary, for Danon and me both. We were there by ourselves. So, it was not like we had anybody to ask questions to, other than the medical staff at the time. Our mental state at that time was kind of rough. So, we’ve been through it.” He thanked those who did blood drives, including the Sheriff’s Office. “People have donated platelets,” he added, “and all that has been great for us and for other families that are in need, and we appreciate every bit of it.”
The Gilstrap family shares their story of Lainey's cancer battle, and Lainey says, "I'm cancer free." (Photos by Karen Brewer, The Pickens County Chronicle)
“The support of the Pickens County Sheriff’s Office, the Easley Police Department, Easley Fire Department has been unimaginable,” said Danon. “I couldn’t be more proud to work for the Pickens County Sheriff’s Office. I’ve been there for 20 years this year. And going through something like this, you find out who’s really there, who’s out there for us, and we really have felt the love from the community and our friends and family. We can’t thank Tyler’s parents enough for all they’ve done for us, Greg and La Tresa Gilstrap, for helping us with Raegan when we couldn’t be there for her. I wanted to thank Raegan for making it through all this. She’s been a good big sister, and she’s had to do home school for almost a whole year because we couldn’t get out in public with Lainey because of her numbers and her count. I wanted to thank my Mom, Sandra Buchanan, for being there for us, and my sister, Haley. But we have battled through it.
“Once we were diagnosed, my father, two weeks later, got diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. And so, we were not only battling cancer with our daughter, we were also battling cancer with my father, and my cousin Robyn, also, was diagnosed with brain cancer within three months, and so I had three immediate family members battling cancer at the same time. My Dad and my cousin Robyn have gone on to be with Jesus, and they are whole again, which we are thankful that they are healed.
“Lainey has persevered, and she was able to be healed on this side, and we are just thrilled that we get to celebrate her victory today. She has had a port placed the week of her diagnosis. She had surgery to put that in. She has had to have multiple spinal taps every 90 days. And what they do is they pull spinal fluid out and shoot chemo back up your spine.” Danon said that Lainey had to take a chemotherapy drug called ‘the red devil’. “And that’s when her hair started falling out. We had the Sheriff’s Office come and rally around us. And my dear friend Lindsey, who is also our hair dresser and barber, came. Everybody came. Literally, I called, and, within an hour, everybody was in our yard. I shaved my head. Captain Ellenburg came and shaved her head. India Rackley from the Sheriff’s Office. We had Brian Byers. We had just a ton of people call from the Sheriff’s Office. We all showed her support, shaved our head. Our neighbor Doug shaved his head. Tyler. And, so we rode around that summer with no hair. I wish somebody had told me how cool it was. I probably would have done it before then. But everything’s coming back. I don’t know exactly how much chemo she has had, but she has had chemo and multiple different drugs, to include a therapy drug that we’re having to continue for the next six months.
“But her port will be coming out in the next few weeks. So, I would like for you guys to pray with us for that. The more prayers, the merrier, for her port surgery.
“And then, next summer, we will be fixing her heart. So, hopefully by the end of next summer, she will be a normal child, and we will not have to worry about any sickness, and we are healed, cancer free.”
With those words, cancer free, everyone in the crowd applauded.
“I’m cancer free,” said Lainey, and the crowd cheered even more loudly.
Danon thanked the sponsors for the day’s event, and the d.j., as well as the food trucks and vendors, and added, “I could not have done this without the help of the community.” She again thanked the Pickens County Sheriff’s Office, Easley Police Department, and Easley Fire Department for their support.
She then invited to the stage Easley Mayor Lisa Talbert, who read a proclamation from the City of Easley.
“I want to congratulate you today by giving you a proclamation,” Talbert told Lainey. “It says, ‘Whereas, the City of Easley believes in lifting the remarkable stories of strength, resilience, and hope within our community, and Whereas one such story belongs to a brave, young warrior, Lainey Gilstrap, who has shown unwavering courage and grace in her fight against pre B-cell Acute lymphoblastic leukemia, an aggressive and relentless blood cancer, And whereas since 2023, Lainey has endured numerous rounds of intensive chemotherapy, each bringing its own physical and emotional challenges, and faced the return of a heart condition she has overwhelmingly overcome as a baby,
“Whereas, through every setback, every hospital stay, and every painful procedure,” the resolution continues, Lainey’s smile has inspired everyone.
“Whereas, on June 19, 2025, Lainey completed her final day of treatments. And today, on July 12, 2025, she will ring the bell in our town square, a powerful tradition symbolizing the end of cancer treatment and the beginning of a new chapter filled with hope and healing,
“Now, therefore, I, Lisa Talbert, Mayor of the City of Easley, do hereby proclaim July 12, 2025 as Lainey Gilstrap Day.” She asked everyone to “join in celebrating this extraordinary child who has touched our hearts and she has uplifted our spirits and reminds us all of the power of perseverance, joy, and community.” She concluded, “Thank you, Lainey, and congratulations.”
Easley Mayor Lisa Talbert greets Lainey and reads a proclamation from the City of Easley proclaming July 12, 2025 as Lainey Gilstrap Day. (Photos by Karen Brewer, The Pickens County Chronicle)
“We are going to play a slideshow,” Danon then said. “There was no way we could get all the photos and videos over the last two years and three months. We’ve got a slideshow, to show from the beginning of her cancer diagnosis to the end. The end picture is her ringing the bell at the cancer clinic last Thursday. Once we’re done with that, she’s going to ring the bell.”
Many supporters gathered around in front of the stage, as Lainey’s family showed a video of numerous photos from her journey, as music was played, including the song “Warrior”: “And I won’t bow, I won’t break / No, I’m not afraid to do whatever it takes / I’ll never bow, I’ll never break / ‘Cause I’m a warrior, I fight for my life / Like a soldier all through the night / And I won’t give up, I will survive / I’m a warrior / And I’m stronger, that’s why I’m alive / I will conquer, time after time / I’ll never falter, I will survive / I’m a warrior.”
Everyone watches a slideshow of photos taken during Lainey's journey, fighting cancer. (Photos by Karen Brewer, The Pickens County Chronicle)
The Gilstrap family (Photos by Karen Brewer, The Pickens County Chronicle)
Danon asked law enforcement, as well as three friends of Lainey’s and a friend of Raegan’s, to come to the stage, as Lainey rang the bell, to the loud applause of all of her supporters there.
Lainey rings the bell, signifying the end of her cancer treatments. (Photos by Karen Brewer, The Pickens County Chronicle)
Law enforcement with the Gilstrap family (Photos by Karen Brewer, The Pickens County Chronicle)
Rick and Tanya Curren from Scaly Adventures then brought a couple of ‘scaly friends’, Burmese pythons, to the stage, for the Gilstrap family and anyone else who might want a photograph made with them. Danon asked a little boy named Rivers to come to the stage. “Rivers is battling leukemia,” she said. “He’s about halfway through. Everybody, give Rivers a round of applause.” She asked everyone to think about Rivers in his journey and to keep him in their prayers.
“We are super excited and honored to be here,” said Tanya Curren, of Scaly Adventures. “We love the Gilstrap family. We actually got to film with Raegan and Danon for an anti-drug and anti-bully message years ago for little Lainey. I, myself, was in a coma, and I was actually given two hours to live, and that was when I was 30. So, I know how hard I had to fight for my life.”
She then read words on a bookmark dedicated to Lainey, a bookmark given out to all of the children present, and she asked all of the children to repeat after her: “I am important. I am courageous. I am strong. I am irreplaceable. I am valuable. I am purposeful. I am resilient.
“We also have something very special,” Tanya said. “Ginger is our Burmese python that is registered with the Make a Wish Foundation here in South Carolina for children who cannot leave the state who would like a reptile experience. She always wears scrunchies on her head, because it’s very disarming for those who are afraid, and it also brings children joy. There are three on Miss Ginger today.”
“The first one,” said her husband, Rick, “is because, Lainey, you didn’t go on this journey by yourself, right? You have a support team. So, the first one is for Mom, if she’ll take a walk over here. And Dad, too, but Dads usually don’t wear scrunchies. Mom, I want you to reach up to Ginger and take that first scrunchy. That first scrunchy says ‘Mama Bear.’ It says ‘Faith over fear.’ And it also says ‘Thankful.’ Because that’s what you showed during Lainey’s journey. And Ginger wanted to honor you with that.
“And, Miss Raegan, come here, because sisters are important. This is a special one, as well, and yours, if you’ll take it off Miss Ginger. You will find that yours says ‘Sisters,’ It says ‘Pray.’ And it also has a star on it, because you were a star in her life, and you encouraged her and prayed for her every single day. So, never, ever forget that. Ginger honors you for being part of her support team.
“And now, Miss Lainey, if you’ll reach up here and take this one off Miss Ginger, she’d be honored for you to have it. Yours, Miss Lainey, has that special cancer ribbon because you beat its butt. You crushed it. It also has ‘Never, ever give up.’ And there’s also a little tag on there that says ‘Inspire’, because, listen to me, young lady, your behavior, what you did and what you faced, inspired everyone else out here — if we have even a tenth of the courage you do, what you faced. You’re awesome.” Lainey then took the scrunchy off Ginger and rang a little bell, to a loud round of applause from everyone who had gathered around the stage.
Rick and Tanya Curren of Scaly Adventures with the Gilstrap family and friends. (Photos by Karen Brewer, The Pickens County Chronicle)
(Photos by Karen Brewer, The Pickens County Chronicle)
Children and some adults then lined up on the steps and walked on stage, taking turns having their photos made with Rick and Tanya Curren and the Burmese pythons from Scaly Adventures.
The rest of the morning, children enjoyed bounce houses, a visit from a princess and the Grinch, face painting, balloon animals, and more, as part of the celebration in Old Market Square.
Lainey poses with her grandmothers, Sandra Buchanan and Le Tresa Gilstrap. (Photos by Karen Brewer, The Pickens County Chronicle)
Lainey poses with her paternal grandparents, La Tresa and Greg Gilstrap. (Photos by Karen Brewer, The Pickens County Chronicle)
A princess and the Grinch appearing at Lainey's celebration. (Photos by Karen Brewer, The Pickens County Chronicle)
Children enjoy the bounce houses. (Photos by Karen Brewer, The Pickens County Chronicle)
