Lil' Miss Kennedy

Lil Miss Kennedy is a spunky little 4 yr old girl that's had more than her fair share dished out in her lifetime. She is blessed, though, because she has a wonderful Mommy, Daddy, and Grandma that love her very much! She also has three adorable siblings that wouldn't trade her for anything. I first "met" Renee and Kennedy almost 2 years ago through a Down syndrome online support group. Since then I count her as a friend. Renee has a great outlook on life and is so supportive of every one of Kennedy's needs and cares for all four of her children with grace and ease (or so it looks ;) ).

So... what is it that Kennedy has? Well, you guessed Down syndrome, but the other two major things affecting her right now are that she is just now ONE YEAR post-diagnosis with AML (Leukemia). She spent many months undergoing chemotherapy and is now CANCER FREE! That would be 'in the past' now, but we all know that cancer is a scary thing that sometimes raises its nasty head multiple times. The other major issue right now is why I'm writing this to you all. Kennedy has a combination of conditions called AAI and AOI which means that the vertebrae at the base of the head/neck have too much space in between them and they cause her to have instability in that area. Basically, a fall, a minor car accident, or any other jarring of her neck could cause her to be paralyzed.

Her mother, 1 yr old brother, and her older brother and sister along with Grandma and Dad (who by the way just came home from Afghanistan for this surgery) all arrived in Philadelphia so that Kennedy can have her spine fused through a major surgery. Yes, big enough for the Army to fly her dad home.

Kennedy's surgery is THIS WEDNESDAY! Please pray for Kennedy and her family as they go through this scary time and for the upcoming weeks and months that their dynamic will be changed. They will stay in Philly for FOUR WEEKS with 7 people living out of a hotel room and then will return home- and Dad will return to Afghanistan. Kennedy has been in a neck immobilizing brace for several weeks already and will be in a Halo for 6 months after her surgery.

PLEASE PRAY!! Below is a button- it's also on my blog sidebar so you can find it easily later- and if you click it you'll go to Renee's blog where she promises to update frequently :) THANK YOU for praying for this beautiful little girl and her family!