“the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned.” -Matthew 4:16
Kennedy Coke is a strong and courageous young lady. Kennedy is a 10-year-old girl who is currently battling cancer. When she was only two years old, doctors discovered a tumor in Kennedy’s lung. She would later be diagnosed with DICER-1, a rare genetic disorder that prevents her body from fighting tumors. Kennedy has battled many health issues and has overcome so much in the past eight years.
This past year has brought even greater health struggles for Kennedy. She started the year with surgery on her Thyroid and is facing another surgery and treatment before the year is out. Even the strongest of us will tire in the face of so many diagnoses, surgeries, and treatments. Kennedy’s mom, Jodi, wanted to do something to help lift her daughter’s spirits. Jodi knew that Kennedy was a huge Taylor Swift fan. They wanted to get tickets to the Eras Tour and surprise Kennedy. Unfortunately, the tickets were going for thousands of dollars apiece.
That is when Jodi’s friends and community stepped in to help. They launched an internet campaign to send Kennedy and her family to Indianapolis to see Taylor Swift. While Kennedy was undergoing chemo, her family and friends were planning a concert getaway for her. The campaign was a huge success; over $16,000 was raised to cover the tickets, travel, and rooms.
When Kennedy’s parents presented her with the tickets, they told her, “A lot of people love you very much.” People they did not know contributed to the fund that would take Kennedy from the hospital room to the most popular concert tour in the world. Kennedy went from enduring chemo treatments to planning her outfit for the big event. Being able to look forward to the concert gave Kennedy and her family a bright light to see at the end of a long, dark tunnel.
Thousands of people contributed to helping make Kennedy’s dream come true. This is a wonderful reminder that we can bring hope to this world. When each of us is willing to do our part and contribute our time and resources, we can demonstrate God’s love to the world. Kennedy will never know all the people who contributed to her concert dream, but she will always know the power of hope because people decided to act in love and compassion.
-Rev. Keith King, Pastor of Worship
