D.B.

I. FACTS AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

Mother and father were never married to one another, but lived together in the

Coachella Valley briefly, beginning in November 2005 and continuing through April

2006, shortly after their child was born in February 2006. Initially, mother and father

shared custody roughly equally, pursuant to informal arrangements made among

themselves without court involvement. In July 2010, mother filed for custody.

Thereafter, the parties participated in a mediation, resulting in a stipulated parenting plan

that split custody on a “5-5-2-2” basis, whereby the parties would alternate having the

child, taking turns for five days each, and then two days each. Pursuant to the parties’

stipulation, the court further ordered that the child not be removed from California.

Mother was first diagnosed with cancer in 1997, but was treated successfully. In

May or June 2011, however, it was discovered that she had cancer again.1 After surgery

in September 2011, she was again believed to be cancer free.

In February 2012, mother filed the move-away request at issue. In her declaration

in support of the request, mother stated that she had continued to struggle to…