Courageous Catie, the 3-year-old with a rare disease, passes away

Many mourned when three-year-old Caitlin Lucas, or Caitie, passed away on Thursday after battling a rare blood cancer.

Her family announced the child's death on the Facebook page "Courageous Caitie" past 12 noon.

"Today our daughter has gone to Jesus already," they wrote.

In earlier posts, parents Feliz and Jayjay said Catie was in critical condition because her oxygen levels were low and that she had been having difficulty breathing since the night before.

Thousands of supporters had sent their well-wishes and prayers, but Catie eventually succumbed to her illness.

Rare disease

Catie was diagnosed earlier this month with juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia (JMML), a rare cancer of the blood affecting infants and toddlers.

The diagnosis came six months after Catie first had bruises.

After receiving inconclusive diagnoses from different hospitals in Manila, the family had flown to Singapore to find out what disease Catie had, leaving behind their son, Ethan.

The Lucases' hospital bills reached millions, but they were determined to help Catie get better.

"As parents it's tough na we come to this point na we have a diagnosis, relieved na finally we have one. Anxious din, we don't know what's going to happen," Jayjay said in an interview with 24 Oras on March 12.

"She has been brave, my daughter's really brave. She doesn't cry during IV insertions anymore," he added.

Despite the heartbreak, her parents on Thursday honored Catie for her courage.

"You were awesome my daughter," they said in the latest post.

—Jessica Bartolome/KG, GMA News