Family honors former Cumberland patient with memorial walk near anniversary of her death

MIDLOTHIAN, Va. — Kaila Blackburn's family is honoring her memory with a community walk near the one-year anniversary of her death from anorexia.

"Kaila was my firstborn, my miracle child," her mother, Debi Blackburn, said. "I struggled for decades with anorexia myself, and I was told I could never have children and look what happened, I have two beautiful girls."

"I felt hugely responsible for this, and there's a huge genetic propensity to anorexia, and I'm the genetic carrier. I have some survivor's guilt. Like, why did I make it, and my daughter didn't? I'm so grateful to be alive. I love my life and my family, but my God, I lost my daughter. Trauma just completely triggered her into this catastrophe of an eating disorder that ended up taking her life," Blackburn said.

Kaila was a Division I athlete whose running career at Virginia Tech ended, her family said, after she shared with them that she had been sexually assaulted they said as a teen.

"I think it became an escape. Her illness became the way that she escaped her trauma, and so then the trauma compounded because you have trauma, the physical trauma, and now you have the trauma caused by eating disorder, and she never she never had a break," Kaila's sister Alisa Rivas said.

"She was just a pure light and pure joy and then anorexia happened to her, and it stole her," Debi Blackburn said.

Kaila sought treatment at Cumberland Hospital. Nine years later, in a civil trial against the New Kent facility and its former medical director, she testified. Along with dozens of other patients, Kaila alleged she was sexually assaulted by Dr. Daniel Davidow during her admissions exam.

A Richmond jury awarded three plaintiffs $360 million in September 2024, a figure that was eventually reduced by just over $1 million. Davidow was acquitted of all criminal charges in New Kent County in April 2024.

"She didn't feel relief like I was hoping she would. We were all hoping that would be a pivotal point for Kaila, but I think the brokenness was too entrenched," Debi Blackburn said.

The following year, Kaila's condition became terminal. She documented her final days through a video blog.

"I am in hospice," she said in one entry.

In another, she reflected on what a miracle meant to her.

"A lot of people think the miracle would be my life being saved, but I feel like I have this chance to give my life to God and be the person I haven't been able to be," Kaila said.

Rivas remembered her sister as more than family.

"Kaila was my first friend. She was my older sister, my protector, my competitor. She taught me so much about life, about resilience, and she was one of my closest friends," Rivas said.

"What was it like to watch her go through anorexia?" asked, Investigative Reporter Laura French

"It was the hardest thing you ever have to do, is to watch somebody you love struggle, and there's nothing you can do to help them," Rivas replied. "You can support them, and you can be there for them, but you want to fix it. You want to fix the people you love and make them whole and happy and healthy and we had very good moments, even while she struggled with anorexia. But it was hard, it was hard."

Kaila's battle with anorexia ended Sept. 27, 2025.

Rivas, thought it would be best to remember Kaila on the anniversary at the place she loved most.

"I wanted to do something to honor my sister, and in a selfish way, I needed something to help with my grief. I needed an outlet for that, and Kaila loved to walk. Some of the first memories I have with her are going to Gordon Elementary Walk and Run Club, and so I wanted to create a walk in her honor that gave back to the community, and it's right around the year mark of when Kaila passed, and so I wanted to honor her with a walk that the donations and benefits served our community," Rivas said.

Walk With Kaila takes place at Midlothian Coal Mines on Saturday, Sept. 26, at 3:30 p.m.

"The walk is completely free to attend. However, we do have like donations of toys and monetary donations that will benefit A Place of Miracles, which is it's a local food distributor in downtown Richmond that feed over like seven to 800 families a week," said Rivas. "Kaila volunteered there during the past five or six years. She spent a lot of time there handing out food, and she collected toys for kids for Christmas and Easter. We started a section of the foundation there called Kaila's Kids Corner, and toys and monetary funds will go to those kids and help provide toys," Rivas added.

"She just wanted to serve, and she wanted to give love, and she did, and she continues to. But I think she'd say, 'You go, girls!'" Blackburn said.

A memorial bench will be dedicated in Kaila's memory the day of the walk.

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