Turning her battle in blessings

At four years old, Rachael “RayRay” Weir learned a word most adults hope never to hear — leukemia.

Now eight years old and still in treatment, she has turned her fight with acute myeloid leukemia into a ministry — one rooted in faith, generosity and a simple desire to make sure no child feels alone in the middle of a hard battle.

RayRay’s Ray of Faith Foundation began with inspiration from her grandmother, Gina Weir, who has long served in ministry as well and serves as the pastor of Heritage Ministries in Clemments.

The Ray of Faith Foundation’s beginning was a moment Gina recalls tenderly.

Inside a hospital hallway at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas, last August, RayRay noticed another child carrying a stuffed Jesus doll.

“Well, RayRay really liked it, so I said I was going to get her one,” Gina said, adding what might have ended as a comforting gift for one child quickly grew into something more.

“When she started carrying it through the hospital, another little girl saw it and wanted one,” she continued. “So, I bought her one too. From there, we were buying Jesus stuffies for everybody.”

That desire to spread joy, even in the middle of her own pain, became the foundation of RayRay’s ministry. By late summer, RayRay’s Ray of Faith had officially taken shape with a mission to provide encouragement to children battling serious illnesses and support for their families.

Each gift bag sent through the ministry includes a talking Jesus doll, faith-based books, Bibles and gift cards — small but meaningful items meant to bring both spiritual and practical comfort. So far, dozens of those bags have made their way to children across the country, each one assembled with care and a sense of shared understanding.

RayRay knows the road they’re walking.

Diagnosed at four, she underwent a bone marrow transplant before relapsing a year later. Since then, her care has continued in Houston, where she is currently undergoing treatment as part of a clinical trial while preparing for a second transplant.

The routine is demanding. RayRay spends weeks at the hospital, followed by short stretches at home in Rogersville with her family before returning again.

“She’s constantly on meds and chemo, but she’s doing it,” Gina said. “She’s my angel.”

That fight, Gina said, is made easier when RayRay can be surrounded by the people she loves most.

“Her morale is so much better when she gets to be with her siblings,” she said.

At home, those moments look a little different than they might for most eightyear- olds, but they are no less full of love. RayRay enjoys dancing and laughing with her older sister, Madison, and younger brothers John Collin and Jacob in the days between her treatments.

Lately, she’s found a new way to continue her ministry and blend more fun with her siblings. Together, they host a lemonade stand outside The Grub Shack in Rogersville.

The idea for the stand came unexpectedly, during a drive back from Houston.

“She said, just out of the blue, ‘Nanny, I want to get a lemonade stand, and I want to give out lemonade and Bibles,’” Gina recalled. “I said, ‘OK, we’re going to make it happen.’” With help from her grandfather — Pawpaw, as RayRay calls him — the stand was built and painted, filled with bright colors and small details that reflect her sunny personality. On the day it opened, RayRay stood behind it, handing out free cups of lemonade while a donation jar nearby steadily filled.

“I think we need a bigger pot,” RayRay said with wide eyes as she handed out cups of lemonade that day.

By the end of the day, she and her siblings had raised $1,366, and run completely out of lemonade.

The money raised goes directly back into the ministry, helping fund the gift bags sent to other families.

For Gina, the success of the stand wasn’t just in the numbers. It was in what it gave RayRay.

“I don’t want her out in the heat too long, and I don’t want her to wear herself out,” she said. “But she loves it.”

“Yes, it’s lots of fun,” RayRay agreed with a laugh.

The plan, for now, is to hold the stand monthly, depending on how RayRay feels between treatments. It’s a delicate balance, protecting her strength while nurturing her desire to give.

Still, that desire, Gina said, has been clear from the beginning.

“Through her battle, she wants to bless others,”