Kenzie Strong


                        Please help McKenzie on her road to recovery,

Four months ago on a dark, rainy and foggy morning; my little sister, McKenzie Graham, 13 was hit by a car. We thank God the driver stopped, which meant the difference between life and death. That day changed our family forever. She suffered a traumatic brain injury along with several fractures in her pelvis and was in a coma. She spent fourteen days in the Intensive Care unit and then in the rehab unit where she began the long process of relearning everything. She was in the hospital for a month and my mother never left her side.  Although her recovery has been miraculous, McKenzie will require another surgery to reconstruct a muscle in her face they had to remove to make room in her skull, and a vocal cord surgery plus many more months of therapy to help her recover to her fullest potential from the traumatic brain injury. Before the accident, McKenzie played softball on the Starz Travel Team and Basketball; she ran 5K’s and was president of the National Junior Honors Society in her middle school. McKenzie’s will and amazing spirit is what is driving her recovery. She continues to work hard every day to get back her life.  A traumatic brain injury of a loved one impacts the entire family. My mom who is a beloved third grade teacher has had to stop working to care for McKenzie and my little sister has had to grow up fast and sacrifice time with my mom, so that Mom can ensure  McKenzie is getting everything she needs. As a senior this year, my parents also have to start thinking about me going to college next year and all that that will entail. We are not by any means a well to do family, the medical bills have been staggering- even with insurance and we are not done yet! McKenzie will need extra tutoring and many therapies (some not covered by insurance) for the foreseeable future. Yet despite everything we’ve gone through and all the challenges that we continue to face as a family, we are so blessed and grateful that McKenzie is still with us!  As her family, we want to ensure that she has every opportunity available to her so that she can RECOVER. Please help us realize McKenzie’s dream of one day going back to school and being a typical teenage girl. I am asking for the community’s help for McKenzie. Any donations will go directly to help with all the medical costs incurred and therapies that my little sister needs. Thank you in advance and may God Bless you all.

I am attaching a local news clip of our story as a way to verify McKenzie’s story.

http://www.wsoctv.com/news/local/kannapolis-teen-returns-home-after-more-than-5-weeks-in-hospital/666761285 ‌