Cyarah “Cece” was born in Ohio on Easter Sunday 1996 (April 7th)
At the age of 7 Cece was diagnosed with cancer, Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL), but she never let it discourage her. She maintained a positive attitude throughout her two years and three months of chemotherapy. This experience increased her knowledge of the medical field and she built relationships with her pediatrician, oncologist and nurses. Even at an early age Cece knew she wanted to pediatric nurse, she wanted to help kids who were going through the same struggles that she was going through. By the grace of God, Cece overcame cancer, and the mother daughter bond grew.
Cece always enjoyed family time, going to the lake and cooking out, camping, playing at the water park with her grandpa, cousins and friends, shopping with her mom and Christmas Eves at her grandma’s, Cece embraced family. Young kids gravitated towards her, and Cece could put a smile on anyone’s face and loved to make everyone she encountered feel special. In high school, Cyarah had a job at a local nursing home and enjoyed getting to know her patients, she would come home nightly and tell stories about how they “melted her heart”. She had a way with people, making people feel like they were the most important person in the room when she was around.
Cyarah loved the outdoors and being adventurous. When living in California, we would have so much fun going to the beach every chance we got, hiking along the Pacific Coast and taking road trips to Big Sir, Hollywood, Glass Beach and Yosemite National Park. She loved to travel, Paris, Barcelona, Maui, Kawi and O’ahu.
After Cece graduated high school she spent time as a nanny to her younger cousins and would have various jobs, but at 22, Cyarah found “the best job yet”, she was a camp counselor at a San Francisco Yacht Club, working with different groups of kids weekly teaching them how to maneuver and guide themselves on a mini sailboat.
It was at the end of that year that she decided to move back to Ohio. Shortly after moving to Ohio she ran into a guy who would end up being her boyfriend. Little did she know that this relationship would not have the happy ending that she deserved. On March 26, 2020, I spoke to Cyarah, she was so excited to tell me how her dinner came out, she had made chicken!
In the early hours of March 27, 2020 my nightmare happened, I received a call from a gentleman who identified himself as a Lorain County police officer and asked me if my daughter was Cyarah Vince. He told me that my daughter had been murdered by her boyfriend, he had admitted to it and they had him in custody. I remember my first words were “Noooooooooooooo, not my baby!”
I have now made it my mission to tell Cyarah’s story as often as possible. Did she think she could change him? Did she think she didn’t have a way out? We as parents, and a community need to educate all age groups, especially middle and high schoolers on the signs of abusive relationships and that there is a way out.
I was honored to be her mother!
-Tamara Vince
Cyarah Vince Foundation 