Angels Among Us
by KaseyKahne.com
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Kayla is in the terminal stages of Rhabdomyosarcoma, a type of cancer that attacks the skeletal and muscular systems of the human body. She went through treatments last year and thought that the cancer was gone, but one year later, she noticed a bump on her neck and — sure enough — the cancer had returned. Knowing how terrible the treatments made her feel, she used every ounce of courage she had and decided not to go through with the treatments. She was given three to four weeks to live. Kayla is on her third week right now.
Kayla is also a huge Nascar fan. My dad told NHIS her story, and they paid for her and her mother's ticket and it was arranged earlier in the week that she met one of her favorite drivers, Dale Earnhardt Jr. On Sunday before the Sylvania 300, she got a chance to meet her most favorite driver, Kasey Kahne. After she came back from meeting him, she was very tired so she took a nap. But when she woke up, she delivered a present to my sister, a Kasey Kahne signed cap. This was the first time I had met Kayla, and I personally was heartbroken by her situation. I just couldn't believe that a girl of the age of 14 had so much kindness and care in her heart when she knows that her time is quickly approaching.
I just personally wanted to thank Kasey for making her day. We all knew she was as happy as can be because every time we saw her, she had a smile on her face. I had no idea that someone I never knew could make such an impact on my life.
---- Matthew McPherson, emailed 9/20/05
Editor's note: Kayla passed away shortly after the Loudon, N.H. race.
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