While some fans were uneasy after seeing Paola Mayfield's behavior on 90 Day Fiance this year, she still has countless followers.
And she has an amazing announcement to make about her beloved niece.
Her Columbian niece, who has Down Syndrome, is now cancer-free after a two-year battle with leukemia!
Paola Mayfield took to Instagram this week to make a very special announcement.
"Last year I went to Colombia when I was pregnant," her caption begins, explaining why she appears pregnant in the accompanying photo.
She explained: "I needed to see my sister and my niece."
"My niece has Down Syndrome," Paola notes, "and had been battling leukemia for about 2 years."
Here is the photo. Paola's young neice is adorable!
"But TODAY we received the greatest news!" Paola proclaims.
She writes: "She is finally cancer free!"
Childhood leukemia is a true horror and we are so, so pleased to hear this!
"With tears in my eyes," Paola's heartfelt caption continues, "I feel full of joy and happiness."
She very well should!
Paola explains that this is such a relief "because I know how hard it has been the past few years for my sister."
We have a sneaking suspicion that this was no cakewalk for her niece, either.
"For those who battle everyday to have another day of life," Paola advises. "Stay strong and don’t lose faith."
The beloved reality star then adds a string of red hear emojis.
Paola concludes her post by writing: "Thank you."
For some reason -- possibly fearing that trolls have no qualms and consider no subject to be sacred -- Pao has deactivated replies to the post.
Down Syndrome is also known as Trisomy 21, and it means that there are three twenty-first chromosomes instead of the usual pairing.
This mutation, usually detectable before birth, can cause cognitive delays along with a series of tell-tale traits.
Individuals with Down Syndrome can lead fulfilling lives, complete their education, and overcome stigma.
However, some babies with Down Syndrome require major heart surgery within days of birth. Others simply die.
Thinking about it, Paola's niece battling leukemia may have been a factor, combined with Pao's previous miscarriage, behind her behavior early this year.
As fans of 90 Day Fiance may recall, she was weirdly possessive of baby Axel after his birth.
She seemed unwilling to allow Russ or Russ' mother to hold or be alone with her son, which was very distressing.
Worse, Pao admitted to vaccine hesitancy, confessing that they would pick and choose which vaccinations Axel received. That's not okay.
Paola, seen here feeding celery juice (the very concept of which makes me shudder) to baby Axel, has clear concerns about her son's health.
Does she hope that giving him all-organic foods and denying him much-needed vaccines will ensure that he does not repeat her niece's horror?
That might explain, but not excuse, some of her post-partum struggles that shocked fans earlier this year.
We are so overjoyed on behalf of Paola's niece and we wish the entire extended family the very best.
