Six-Year-old With A Life-threatening Illness Perseveres Amidst Painful Circumstances

A little change can make a big difference. This is a concept well known by most but not always well remembered. Whether it be a hug, a favorite meal with family and friends or a warm blanket on a cold night, it is the little things that put smiles on people’s faces. 

For 6-year-old Kenzie Stanton, her “little thing” is simply a state of well-being. 

Kenzie has been through a lot more than most, being that she is the youngest person with one of the most extreme cases of chronic recurrent multifocal osteomyelitis (CRMO) in the world.  

In simpler terms, according to Kenzie’s mother Robin Stanton, “Her body is against her. Her immune system is fighting against her. Her bones are eating her bones.” 

It can be easy for people to take even the subconscious things for granted, like having a working immune system, or better yet, a working body. Kenzie does not get the chance to take these things for granted; however, that does not stop her from getting up each morning and persevering.

Although there is no cure for CRMO, Kenzie is currently on the most aggressive treatments possible to help with the pain and system-failures. These include bone biopsies, chemotherapy, physical and occupational therapy and more. 

“To be honest, it’s rough. Every day when we leave the house, it’s a struggle cause she’s afraid she’s going to a doctor’s appointment…emotionally it’s taking us all down,” Stanton said. 

To make matters worse, Stanton explained how the family’s medical insurance has not been much help in the process. 

“I am fighting the insurance every single day on something,” Stanton said. “Her chemo was denied, her MRIs, her PET scans — denied.” 

From working bones to working insurance, the things people do not normally tend to consider all that special are what Kenzie needs now more than ever. 

After hearing Kenzie’s story from Stanton, one Liberty student recognized the value of those needs and decided to do something about it.

Jared Ropka, a family friend of the Stantons, created a GoFundMe called “Care for Kenzie” with a goal of $10,000 to help pay for some of her treatments. He also has been contacting Liberty officials to try and raise awareness to help get the fundraiser more publicity.

“I’m emailing LU Serve, the LU Shepard’s office and Student Life. We got posters up everywhere on campus and community boards, too,” Ropka said. “This whole situation has me reflecting on how we take so many things for granted, especially our health. I really do believe that God is giving me this platform to show that community is so important in our lives, especially in times of need.”

While CRMO may be a big part of Kenzie’s life, the little thing that she asks for is prayer. According to Stanton, Kenzie continues to praise God throughout the process and tells everyone that Jesus is her best friend through it all. 

“One thing about [Kenzie] is her spirits are always good. I mean, no matter what, [whether] she’s in pain or anything, she’s still always smiling. She’s still a happy little girl,” Stanton said. 

Posters around campus have QR codes that can be scanned with any smart phone, and Ropka has also linked the code in his Instagram bio @jaredtropka. Donations can also be sent directly to https://gofund.me/036fb468. 

Wallace is a news reporter. Follow her on Twitter.