The "Kennedy & Her Mom Are In The News Again" Story

Photo of Kennedy and Donya from 2014

It was an ordinary day.  Looking at the link that Donya emailed to me about the doctor who has been a savior for her daughter Kennedy.  It was back in 2014 that I wrote my first story about Kennedy and her mother Donya.  Kennedy was born with the rare condition known as S-adenosylhomocysteine hydrolase deficiency or AdoHcy.  Donya searched and searched for help, but found very little.  

Dr. Strauss, director of the clinic in the cornfield and Hero!

Then she came upon a doctor by the name of Kevin Strauss who was the medical director of the Clinic for Special Children which happened to be right in Lancaster County.  He diagnosed Kennedy's disease and told Donya that her daughter needed a new liver in order to survive.  So what can a parent do?  Well, Donya made a plea on Facebook with the request of a lifetime.  

Kennedy with her living liver donor, Mike.

And, wouldn't you know it...it worked and today Kennedy is slowly seeing the light at the end of the tunnel as she grows into a normal little girl.  My story today deals primarily with Dr. Strauss and the Clinic for Special Children than it does with Kennedy.  It features a short documentary by a London based MA Documentary Student, Lucy Wardley, who visited the Clinic for Special Children throughout 2018 and produced an unbelievable documentary.  

The latest photo I have of Kennedy
on the right and sister Mia on left.

The summary for the documentary goes like this: In rural Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, USA, lies a unique medical centre where they treat rare genetic diseases in the Amish and Mennonite communities.  When a mother from outside the Amish community cannot find a diagnosis to her daughter's medical mystery, she unexpectedly stumbles upon the answers in a clinic in a corn field.  The doctor has been called both a hero and an angel wrapped into one by someone who saw this video.  It is hard to watch without feeling a few tears forming in your eyes.  View the following and see if you don't feel the same passions as others have felt after viewing it.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.  PS - Type Kennedy in the white box at top left of this story to read previous stories about Kennedy and Donya.

View the documentary here: https://vimeo.com/308339702