Ashleigh Marie Perez, daughter of Greg and Deanna Perez, Jamestown, and winner of the 2010 First Baby of Moniteau County Contest, will celebrate her first birthday Jan. 5. While the milestone is certainly a special one, the celebration will be bittersweet for the Perez family.
When Ashleigh was not quite two months old, her sister Kelsey, 6, was diagnosed with a rare cancer that ultimately took her life less than three months later (May 18).
For more of this story check out the Dec. 29 issue of the California Democrat.