Claire Violet Laibinis

Claire Violet Laibinis of Chandler, Arizona, age Six, entered heaven on August 27th, 2024. Claire is preceded in death by paternal grandparents Gabriel and Rita Laibinis. She is survived by her father Kenny Laibinis, mother Dianne East and bonus mother Chastity Lee, older siblings Blake and Kate Laibinis, younger brother Troy Laibinis, and maternal grandparents Kimberly and James Nowicki along with countless extended family members. 

Claire entered our world on October 20th, 2017. She was joyfully welcomed by her mother Dianne and father Kenny who couldn’t wait for her to meet her big brother Blake and big sister Kate. 

Claire was a bright-eyed baby with a warm, adventurous spirit. As a toddler, Claire started getting weak and favoring her right leg in May of 2020. After this escalated, she eventually wound up in the emergency room where tests lead to the diagnosis Stage IV treatment resistant Neuroblastoma on June 9th, 2020. Dianne was pregnant with Claire’s baby brother Troy at that time. Claire had initial treatment at Banner Desert and then transferred care to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK). She left for New York with Kenny mere hours after Troy was born in the very same hospital! Treatment at home shifted to Phoenix Children's Hospital (PCH) once she returned from her initial months-long trip to MSK.

For the past four years, Claire split time between her family’s houses in the Phoenix area and in New York where she stayed at MSK, Ronald McDonald House, and many hotels. Claire was accompanied to New York by Kenny, Dianne, or Grandpa James. Despite being there for treatment, she got out for adventures whenever she could. She loved Central Park - especially the Billy Johnson playground and St. Catherines Park just across from MSK. Claire enjoyed the view of the East River as well. She got to see snow fall and more seasons than she would’ve experienced in Arizona. Her favorite restaurants in New York were Famiglia Pizza and the Ritz Diner. She liked Panda Express wherever she went. 

In Arizona, Claire loved spending time with her family. So much time was spent in New York, at PCH and at appointments that those moments of normal life with Blake, Kate, Troy and family were precious. 

The highlight of Claire's adventures was her Make a Wish trip to Hawaii in April. She got to meet Moana, stay at the Disney resort, and have luxury bubble baths. She made sand castles on the beach just like she asked to do for years before she went to Hawaii! 

Claire enjoyed animals and liked her pet birds Jiminy and Zazu. She was ecstatic when they adopted their cats Muffin and Daisy in May of 2024. Claire loved ducks and wildlife in general. Dancing was one of Claire’s favorite activities and was always encouraged. She had a long Baby Shark phase and loved Moana and Trolls. Dancing was her first choice for therapy at the hospital and always brought a smile to everyone. She would dance anywhere and everywhere. Claire would sing to herself often as well as aloud with the radio. Music was part of her soul. Claire was an artist as well. She liked to draw pictures of herself and her family the most. She gave incredible hugs.

Claire was taken from us by neuroblastoma, but she was so much more than a diagnosis. She lived for years despite cancer and her personality was one of a kind. She had big opinions and knew her own mind. 

James (grandpa) was especially close to Claire and loved to spend hours playing games, throwing darts, cooking, and painting fingernails. She would ride on his shoulders and sing “Down by the Bay.”

Claire was Kimberly’s (grandma) singing and dancing partner. When she was a baby, they would sing the Elmo song and Roar! by Katy Perry. Their favorite was the Skinamarinky song. They liked to cook together. Claire sat at the counter helping to cook and mix their latest recipe, which happened to be her favorite: potato and sausage soup Zuppa Toscana. Kimberly’s favorite time with Claire was snuggling time while lightly scratching her back or her arm for hours. 

Kenny had a special nickname for Claire: Somesome. This came from the word “some” being one of Claire’s first. As a toddler, she always wanted what the rest of the family had and would point and say “some!” Once Claire got sick, she would pretend to be a doctor and “fix” her caregivers. Kenny called her Dr. Somesome and she would spend copious amounts of time bandaging him. He fondly remembers Claire wrapping up his whole head! She also liked to use body paint sticks to color Kenny’s head, arms, and back in great detail. 

Claire was Dianne’s shining light. She showed Dianne what strength means and how to be strong. Claire’s radiant spirit and boundless energy inspired everyone she met. She was a light in our lives, whose smile brightened the darkest days. Though her time with us was far too short, her impact on the world will be felt forever.