The little girl to the right, Kennedy, is on her way to Shriner's in PA. She is about to undergo the spinal surgery we thought we were facing with Wil. She has AAI, atlanto-axial instability, as well as AOI, atlanto-occipital instability. The instability between her occipital bone and the first vertebrae is so significant that when diagnosed she was placed in a neck brace until her surgery in order to protect her from a "major spinal event." Her mom, Renee, has been jumping through all the hoops for the last several weeks to prepare for this surgery. Renee by the way has three other children, Kennedy is the third, and her husband is currently serving in Afghanistan. He will, however, make it back for a short leave to be with the family during Kennedy's surgery.

Please check Renee's blog to read more about Kennedy. This little girl has been through a lot in four years, including leukemia. If you are a pray'er, please, pray for Kennedy and her family. They will be living in a hotel for a month to be close to the hospital for the weeks following Kennedy's surgery. Do I need to tell you how challenging this might be with four kids? Adjusting to the halo will be a big deal for them all as well. So, check in with them regularly and if you can leave a comment to encourage them!