On March 23, 2020, Kids Place lost our beloved pediatric physical therapist Mariah Devries to cancer. Mariah joined Kids Place West in January 2018 after graduating from Northern Arizona University with her Doctorate of Physical Therapy. She quickly became a favorite among her many pediatric patients and co-workers. Mariah married the love of her life, Brian, in 2017, and the two found out they were pregnant with their first child in 2019. Towards the end of her pregnancy, Mariah learned she had an aggressive form of cancer that had already spread to her liver, ovaries, rib cage, spine, and brain called epithelioid angiosarcoma.
At 26 years old, Mariah became a new mother, giving birth to a beautiful and healthy baby girl, Clara, on January 19, 2020. At a time new mothers should spend bonding, nursing, and taking care of their infant, Mariah fought for her life and more time. We still struggle every day to learn how to live on Earth without her but take comfort knowing Mariah’s legacy will live on forever through her family, her beautiful daughter Clara, and the countless friends, coworkers, people, and children she touched in her short time.