Prospect Park Bench Dedicated To 9-Month-Old Cancer Victim

PROSPECT PARK, BROOKLYN — Francesca Kaczynski, a 9-month-old who tragically died from pediatric brain cancer in December, now has her own bench in Prospect Park.

The first bench on Prospect Park West near Grand Army Plaza was restored and set up with a plaque this week in honor of the baby girl, who was lovingly called Beans by her parents, CNN reporter Andrew Kaczynski and Wall Street Journal reporter Rachel Louise Ensign.

"We love you all the flowers of spring and all the leaves of fall," the plaque reads.

The bench — set up by the couple's friends with the help of the Prospect Park Alliance — will soon be joined by a magnolia tree in memory of Francesca and another bench the couple plans to buy near the playground to dedicate to all children fighting cancer, Kaczynski told Patch.

The additions to Brooklyn's Backyard come several months after Francesca, diagnosed with an atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumor, died on Christmas Eve.

Her parents have shared her story and raised more than $600,000 for #TeamBeans in the months since to raise awareness and fight against pediatric cancer.

"We’ve received so many incredible messages of support from total strangers that we will always cherish. And yet, as a society, we have failed to put our best resources together," Kaczynski wrote in a piece for the Washington Post in February. "Let’s start now. We don’t have time to waste."