Donate & Support McKenna's battle against DMG

We are a family of 5 from Shawnee, Kansas. We are small business owners, love adventure, the outdoors and have a big passion for life. We are certainly most proud of our 3 kiddos.

Our oldest, Avery (14) is a freshman. She's incredibly smart, has a heart of gold and is an up-and-coming tennis player with her high school tennis team.

Mckenna (11) is in 5th grade. She is incredibly sweet and always wants to help take care of others. She loves school, her Girl Scout troop, and, most of all, her volleyball team. She is the perfect combination of sass and sweet to make her practically irresistible.

Jamison (8) is our youngest and is in 3rd grade. He’s the fierce protector of our family. He’s a great guy with the biggest heart. He plays soccer and basketball; he’s a boy scout and he LOVES his dog, Harley.

Mid July of 2023 brought on some strange headaches for Mckenna. At first, we didn't think too much of it and tried improving things like nutrition, supplements, hydration, etc. Over a period of four weeks the headaches would come and go with no real explanation. This continued until she became really sick on August 16, 2023. We rushed her to her pediatrician's office. Luckily, they were able to get her in that afternoon for an MRI. We discovered a large tumor in the back, lower portion of her brain. Children's Mercy in Kansas City welcomed her in and took great care of her and our family. The amazing Neurosurgical team jumped into action and got her into surgery in less than 36 hours. Her surgery went miraculously well, and they were able to remove all of the tumor, which is incredibly rare.

Unfortunately, we received the devastating news a week later that the pathology of her tumor reported a very rare and aggressive form of brain cancer called DMG or Diffuse Midline Glioma. While DMG has 'no known cure" at this time, we are working with neuro-oncologists here in America, as well as internationally. We hope to utilize specialized therapies that could be tailored for Mckenna to keep her tumor from growing back and help her keep battling this.

A few weeks after we returned home from the hospital, brave Miss Mckenna went straight into 6 weeks of targeted radiation therapy at KU Med in Kansas City. With an amazing amount of courage, grace, and strength she marched right through. True to form, she even demanded to keep going to school at least 3 days a week while doing a radiation treatment every single morning. She rang the bell signifying successful completion of her radiation regimen October 23, 2023, with her whole family and treatment team cheering her on.

Our goal is to provide Mckenna with the best treatments available. Sadly, the science and medicine in pediatric brain cancer only offers experimental clinical trials, therapeutics and palliative care. It is our mission to leave no stone unturned and to battle everyday with Mckenna. This journey has already taken us across the country and will likely take us across the world.

While brain surgery and radiation are behind us, we know this will be a long road. We are a family of born fighters and believe that nothing is impossible. We ask you to lock arms with our family as we take on this fight. The money we raise will have a direct impact helping us to navigate travel expenses and treatments that are not covered by insurance.

We know this is not a small ask and we are forever grateful for your support! #bravelikemckenna