Thank you so much to all of those who sent in cards letters and emails to my team. This article came as a complete surprise to me however it truly came at a time when I needed a reboost. We all have those weeks, days and moments in our lives when nothing goes as we would like and we lose sight of all we have accomplished for ourselves and our loved ones. We may even lose hope, but then we are reminded and we pick ourselves up and move forward with the strength and determinations that we have always had inside us. I am no different – I have good days and bad days, but I truly believe that when we have hope, anything is possible.
Below is an excerpt from the EP Magazine article:
In the US this month, we will be gathering around the table with family and friends for Thanksgiving. This is a time for sharing an abundance of delicious foods, conversation, and sometimes football. It is also a time of reflection and gratitude. Many families celebrate the tradition by encouraging each person to share what they are grateful for. Often, that includes gratitude towards people who have touched our lives in a special way, encouraged us through tough times and helped us through some of life’s devastating hurdles.
There is a very special person that I would like to feature this month, a person who certainly has had her share of devastating hurdles to tackle, yet she always finds time and a way to help others. Shannon Kenitz is one you may recall from previous stories about her daughter Grace, who was born with a rare mitochondrial disorder and was not expected to live past the age of two.
Grace Kenitz, is a special needs attending public school and celebrating “warrior child” with strength and her sweet 16 birthday party, Shannon determination. She continues to believes HBOT played a huge role reach one milestone after another, as she (ShannonandGrace.com). “All I can say is that Shannon is my hero. I owe her a debt that never can be repaid.” mother for Grace, but she never overlooks Lily or her needs. She carves out time to make Lily feel special, as often a home with a special needs child takes a great portion of the attention.” Grace just attended her prom, very typical for most kids in high school but not for most special needs children. Grace continues to beat the odds with her achievements and Shannon attributes the milestones to Grace’s hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) treatments. She feels that if it were not for the HBOT treatments, Grace would not have survived. Shannon consistently gives credit to HBOT for Grace’s story of hope and the quality of life she can have. From increasing Grace’s mental focus, to her walking out of her wheel chair speaking.
Not only has Shannon been a warrior mother for Grace, she never overlooks her typical daughter, Lily, and her needs. She carves out time to make Lily feel special, as often a home with a special needs child takes a great portion of the attention. Even after all the devastation that Shannon has experienced with Grace’s condition, she is always available to lend a hand to other families coping with special needs chil- dren. I would like to share notes of gratitude other warrior parents have shared about Shannon Kenitz…
Something happened last week that really made the “mama bear” in me come out and I feel like I have to say this out loud… I’m on here a lot to talk about hope and to tell Grace’s story, but this past week I witnessed something amazing in my daughter, Lily, that ended in such disappointment for … Continue reading “Kindness Goes A Long Way”
Many of you are asking for updates on Grace so I thought I would take this week’s blog and use it for an update. You know when you have someone in your life and they always seem to amaze you with their resilience? Well, that would pretty much sum up my daughter Grace and how … Continue reading “A Place For Grace Update”
I know I’ve been slacking on blogs recently and I wanted to shed some light on why… Thank you everyone for your prayers and continued support for Grace and our family. I would like 2017 to end or at least have a do over from January 1st on for Grace. Grace is now at home … Continue reading “Never Give Up Hope”
Because sometimes we all need to be reminded. I know lately I feel as though nothing I do is right or has meaning and I have let myself believe that. I am looking forward to 2018, but make a promise to make the rest of 2017 matter…
This past weekend I picked the wrong day to go to Target to get the boring household items… toliet paper, detergent, you know, the not so fun things… In my defense totally forgot that its UW student move in this weekend for many reasons but the main one being my daughter Grace will not be going … Continue reading “Holding On To Hope”
Have you ever been amazed thousands of time by the same person or the same thing in life? I never thought that was possible… Grace proved me wrong. Everyday she amazes me with the gift of life and reminds me how blessed I am to have the privileged of being her momma. In less than … Continue reading “Reflections of Grace”