On July 17, 2021, we lost our radiant “Sunshine”. Our Heavenly Father called her home at the age of 32. She set this world ablaze and lived life to the fullest. She never wanted her battle with breast cancer to define her, so she chose to keep it private: her grace, strength and courage throughout her journey was truly incredible. She valued and treasured every single friendship that she made along the way.

On December 13, 1988, the most beautiful blue eyed baby girl was born. She was dearly loved, nurtured and raised by her parents, Jeff & Karen. Her sisters absolutely adored her and shared an unbreakable bond; “The Fantastic Four”. She attended Visalia Christian Academy (K-8), Central Valley Christian High School and graduated from El Diamanté High School in 2007. Her love of finance and people led her into a successful career as a loan officer. She prided herself with helping so many families achieve their dream of purchasing a home.

Mikayla was a beautiful person inside and out. She touched so many lives with her kindness, humor and passion for life; she never met a stranger! Her energetic, bubbly personality and laughter were infectious. She lit up every room she walked into and had a gift of always making people feel valued, encouraged and loved and she kept everyone around her laughing, regardless of the severity of any situation, including her own.

She is survived by her fiancé and love, Carlo Niboli (who never left her side); her parents, Jeff Ekizian, Karen Bentley-Tashjian & Randy Tashjian; her sisters, Michelle Bentley, McKenna Ekizian & Madison Ekizian; her grandmothers Barbara Bentley and Jeanette Ekizian; her uncle Ernie & Aunt Gigi Escobedo; her nephew Barrett (who thought the world of his Auntie Kayla) and niece Brooklyn. She was preceded in death by her grandfather Art Ekizian; her uncle Byron Bentley and Aunt Dana Bentley. Her grandfather (Grampy) Albert Bentley followed and joined her in Heaven two days later on July 19, 2021.

Mikayla felt so incredibly blessed to receive such excellent care at Stanford and to be a participant in their trials. As such, in lieu of flowers, we kindly ask that tribute donations be made to the Stanford Cancer Center Institute in Mikayla’s memory. The form can be found HERE.  Please make sure to include on your gift, “The Research Fund for Dr. Melinda Telli”. We hope that their continued research can help save lives in the future.