A smile is infectious. It is said to have a favorable influence on others. It is even said to be a person’s most powerful gesture.
While her body was infected by disease, Kylie’s spirit was even more infectious, positively impacting the world with her most powerful gesture—her beautiful smile.
After a long and brave fight with Ewing’s Sarcoma, Kylie’s body succumbed to the disease…but her spirit never did. Kylie’s spirit was indomitable, buoyed by her faith in her creator and love for her family and fellow man.
A smile is a beautiful phrase from a language without words. In that language, Kylie was an eloquent communicator. Her smile transcended language, race, religion, even trial and pain.
Kylie’s mission, during her fight with cancer, was to collect smiles from around the nation and around the world. Over the months we watched her impact people from every state and nearly every nation. She received smiles from all around the world, drawing strangers together and creating a community of smiles in a world desperate for community and brotherly love.
In life we get precious few examples of strength and grace capable of overcoming hardship. Kylie has been one of those examples. A 12-year-old girl battling a diabolical disease which consumed her body’s strength, while her spirit simultaneously grew stronger impacting and encouraging thousands of people around the world through the course of her illness.
To know that Melodic Caring Project played some small part in impacting Kylie’s life—to make her smile, to feel loved and supported is everything to us and what drives this organization on. This is not a one-way street. These kids impact us in a profound and humbling way. They are sincere. They are honest. And they are braver than us all. We have been impacted by Kylie. She has affected us. And we will in turn affect the world. With smiles, with music, with love.
In her last days Kylie charged her parents (Mark and Robin) to continue on with Smiley for Kylie, to continue spreading love through smiles to other kids battling cancer and to the world at large. Every single one of us at Melodic Caring Project feel infused with that charge and are honored to join and serve as soldiers in Kylie’s army.
Please join the charge, put on your yellow and take a picture of your own infectious smile. Post it to Twitter and Facebook in Kylie’s honor by tagging #smileyforkylie #melodiccaring
Thank you to these artists for supporting Kylie with their love and music: Jason Mraz, Raining Jane, The Head and the Heart, Matt Wertz, Us the Duo, The Von Trapps, Mycle Wastman, V. Contreras and Tyrone Wells.
If you would like to do more to support Kylie’s family this is what they’ve asked… (we are humbled beyond words to be included in this list)
“ 1. Wear Yellow, 2. Be Real – smile, cry, mourn and join us in celebrating our beautiful girl’s life.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that friends would give to one of two charities in Kylie’s honor:
Melodic Caring Project – https://melodiccaring.org/donate/
Rally Foundation for Childhood Cancer Research – http://www.rallyfoundation.org/ “
