FRANKLIN COUNTY — An eastern Indiana teenage girl who had been battling brain cancer for more than two years has died.
Kayla Spangler, 17, of Metamora, died Tuesday after a nearly two-year-long fight against Glioblastoma, according to her obituarythrough Urban Winkler Funeral Home in Connersville.
Kayla, a Franklin County High School student, was the subject of a video message from Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, who was Kayla's idol and favorite actor.
Johnson said Kayla had tons of supporters, family and friends trying to get her information to him.
Johnson goes on to read off some of Kayla's favorite things, including her love for horror movies, sushi and reptiles. He even prided her on loving snakes, something Johnson said he's not the biggest fan of.
The video can be viewed here:
But according to Johnson, Kayla's family said her favorite thing is him.
"Kayla thank you for being a fan," Johnson said. "I know that you're fighting hard. Keep fighting. Keep inspiring everybody around you, including me now."
Johnson also said he was going to get some "cool stuff" together to send to Kayla.
"You're my biggest fan," Johnson said. "Well, now I'm your biggest fan."
Kayla was born on March 31, 2005, in Hampton, Virginia. She is the daughter of Lindsey Spangler and late Petty Officer First Class Jacob Spangler. Kayla's mother Lindsey says her husband died in 2018.
Kayla is also preceded in death by her uncle Eric Spangler.
When she attended Franklin County High School, Kayla participated in JAG, volunteered at the school food bank and was crowned Homecoming queen her senior year.
"Even though she battled cancer for over 2 years, she never let it bring her down and always had a positive attitude and outlook on life. She didn’t let a terminal disease stop her from pursuing her dreams," Kayla's obituary states.
Visitation will be held from noon to 2 p.m. Dec. 10 at Crosspointe Biker Church, 1130 E Baseline Road, Connersville. Funeral services will be conducted at 2 pm.
Memorial contributions can be made to Wolf Creek Habitat. To sign the online guestbook, click here.
Per the National Brain Tumor Society, glioblastoma has a 6.8% survival rate, and the average length of survival for glioblastoma patients is estimated to be around eight months.
-
Tariffs lead to temporary layoffs at Stellantis Kokomo plant
Stellantis is halting production in Canada and Mexico due to a 25% tariff on imported vehicles, leading to temporary layoffs for about 900 U.S. employees in Michigan and Indiana plants.
Tamika Catchings mural set for Mass Ave — Community input needed for design
A new mural is coming to Mass Ave honoring WNBA superstar Tamika Catchings, but your opinion is needed to help finalize the design!
Indiana National Guard activated for storm recovery efforts
Governor Mike Braun has activated the Indiana National Guard to assist in recovery efforts following severe weather Wednesday night.
Duke Energy restores power to thousands after severe Indiana storm
Duke Energy has restored power to over 74,000 customers in Indiana as of this morning after severe storms yesterday caused more than 85,000 outages.
