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CNN reporter Andrew Kaczynski 'heartbroken' after death of 9-month-old daughter

She died on Christmas Eve after battling cancer since September.
/ Source: TODAY

CNN reporter Andrew Kaczynski and his wife, Wall Street Journal reporter Rachel Louise Ensign, are mourning the loss of their 9-month old daughter, Francesca.

She died on Christmas Eve, Kaczynski said in a tweet, after a months-long battle with cancer.

“We're heartbroken to have to announce our beautiful daughter Francesca passed away last night in the arms of her mom and dad," he tweeted. "There will always be a Bean-sized hole in our hearts for her. We're so grateful to have known her love. Francesca we love you."

In September, Kaczynski announced their child had been diagnosed with an “extremely rare and very aggressive rhabdoid brain tumor."

In the months that followed, he continued to update fans and followers on his daughter’s condition. She had brain surgery and in recent weeks, a fungal infection that stemmed from a complication with her chemotherapy. She had to be put on a ventilator and life support.

On Christmas Eve, Kaczynski tweeted asking for prayers and “hope for a Christmas miracle” for his family.

In an obituary for his late child published Friday, Kaczynski wrote that in her “short life, Francesca was an outgoing, bold and curious baby.”

“A Brooklyn-based Sesame Street fan, Francesca enjoyed taking long walks around New York City and Boston, playing with her toys and balloons, attending speech therapy, and 'petting' (i.e. grabbing) her cat Ryland,” he wrote, in part.

“Her many smiles sent a thrill through the world,” the obituary reads. “She was so generous with them, even when most of the smiles back were covered by masks and even when she faced challenges that would scare an adult, like a cancer diagnosis or being born with hearing loss.”

“Francesca showed her parents a kind of love they never knew before and they will never forget it,” he said.