Bone Cancer Survivor • LVAD • Heart Transplant

Dec 17, 2020 was the day that changed everything. MacKenzie was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma (bone cancer) at 14 years old. She had 21 rounds of chemo over a 9 months period, this included many holidays in the hospital. MacKenzie has had 6 leg surgeries and has been on crutches, a walker, or a cane for over 1100 days and counting.

She experienced many side effects of chemo and in October of 2022, after not feeling well, she was flown to Little Rock where they confirmed she was in end-stage heart failure and her heart functions were in the single digits. After a few weeks, it was determined that the only way she would live to see her 17th birthday (Sept 2023) would be to get an LVAD. On November 14th, she got an LVAD which would pump her heart. After 114 days in CVICU, she became the 1st pediatric patient in Arkansas to go home on an LVAD.

Kenzie has been getting healthier each day and recovering from her last leg reconstruction surgery. She’s been an advocate for childhood cancer and heart health. She’s an active LVAD ambassador sharing her story, so others don’t feel alone.

As of April 29th, she is still cancer free and listed again on the heart transplant list. Once she gets a heart, she will spend a minimum of 3 weeks in the hospital. We will need to go to Little Rock weekly for checkups for at least 3 months (including overnight stay each time).

Thank you for reading her story. Please continue to pray for her as we wait for the perfect heart. Any donations are greatly appreciated and will go towards medical expenses as we prepare for this next phase of her journey. ❤️