David Samson, former president of the Miami Marlins and executive vice president of the Montreal Expos, announced on Wednesday that his 28-year-old daughter, Kyra, died the previous day after a nearly yearlong battle with brain cancer.
Kyra was diagnosed with glioblastoma, described by Samson as one of the "cruelest diseases," approximately 10 months ago. He shared the news on his podcast, "Nothing Personal," and on social media platform X.
"Yesterday, my daughter, Kyra, passed away peacefully after a 9 month and 11 day fight against one of the cruelest diseases I’ve ever seen up close," Samson wrote on X. "She was diagnosed with Brain Cancer, specifically Glioblastoma."
Samson had previously alluded to his daughter's serious illness on his show, taking a two-week hiatus in September. He later revealed more details, including shaving his head and growing out his beard in solidarity with Kyra during her treatments.
"You know how sick my daughter is. And my daughter has been going through treatment," he stated on his program in November. "My daughter is a brave woman, is a strong woman. Is a woman who is able to go through these treatments, understanding the importance of them while recognizing the difficulty of them."
Samson expressed a wish that no other family would have to endure similar suffering. "While her life got stolen from her, she handled these months with courage, poise, and resolve," he wrote on X. "And all I want is for no family to feel what we feel today. For no young person to suffer the way she did."
Instead of flowers, the family requests donations be made to The Kyra Fund, established to support research and treatments for glioblastomas. The fund has a goal of $200,000 and has already raised over $158,000.