One of Life’s greatest moments is when you bring your new baby into this world. The love is instant and the bond is unbreakable. You want the very best for your new sweet bundle of joy and your dreams for their future are limitless. Will they be a doctor or a teacher? How many kids will they have? What will they look like? When your little one is hurt or sick, as a parent-you feel that pain and at times it may feel unbearable. The sound of sniffle or a cough is alarming and you hate to watch your child struggle. But what do you do if that pain is more serious? What if a Tylenol won't make it go away this time? How do you tell your child not to be scared, when you are terrified?

For one Clinton family, these are just a few of the tough questions they face every day. Kevin and Amber Taylor’s beautiful daughter Kadence is currently scheduled to have brain tumors removed on January 11th at the Children’s Hospital in St. Louis. It was just a year and half ago they were in this same position and now they have found themselves back on the line of defense against a frightening diagnosis. Thankfully, Kadence is a resilient girl and her parents have been dedicated to getting her the best care available. She has beat this once before and we know she can do it again!

At only nine years old Kadence may be fighting a lot of intimidating battles right now, but you may not know it if you meet her. Her courage far exceeds her years. Kadence is a very vibrant, outgoing girl. She stays very active playing soccer and volleyball. She is also learning ballet, tap and jazz right now. Kadence attends Lincoln Elementary School and is even on the student council! This precious easy going girl loves animals (real or stuffed), the color lime green, and doesn’t mind lending a helping hand like she did this year with Angel Tree Program. Kadence is very bright and is a tremendous blessing to her family. She has two very supportive sisters, Kiana and Kyndall that can’t wait to see their sister healthy and well again! They are her biggest fans and are ready to help and defend in any way they can! Her parents have been there every step of the way and would do anything they could to make their daughter’s path even just a little easier. The family unity has been a bright spot in an otherwise difficult journey.

This year would have been Kadence’s first dance recital. Instead she is preparing for brain surgery. It is unfair for such a young, innocent child to face such seemingly insurmountable obstacles. We pray for her full recovery and that the family never has to face this again. Surprisingly, brain tumors are the most common solid tumors in children. Approximately 1,500 children in the United States are diagnosed with a brain tumor each year. Following the surgery, Kadence will have to undergo rehabilitative therapy to improve her balance, coordination, and possibly speech. As with any surgery, there are many risks, especially with the sensitive nature of this particular surgery. Kadence and her doctor have made her aftercare therapy goal to dance her first recital. We can’t wait to see this star shine again!

This site is a great way to send your love and encouragement to Kadence and her family. Please feel free to mail cards or sign the online guestbook. Kevin, Amber, Kadence, Kiana and Kyndall need their loved ones and communities’ full support right now. We encourage you to reach out any way you can to ease the load that this Clinton family is forced to bare. Please check out the How to Help section for ways you can brighten this family’s day. This site will be a way for you to check on Kadence’s progress. The family is very appreciative of everything the community has done for us so far. Please help us thank those businesses by supporting them as well. The outpouring of love has been tremendous and will go a long way in Kadence’s recovery. Linus Pauling said, "I have had dreams and I've had nightmares. It is because of my dreams that I have overcome my nightmares." Healing takes time. Healing takes opportunity. Healing takes dreams. Thank you for supporting Kadence!