Three-year-old Kennedy is a hero fighting cancer 

Bobbie Earle and Jamie McInnes are owners of Central Plains Bison, McInnes is a welder and Earle is a schoolteacher, but right now, their number one role is they are Kennedy's parents. Kennedy is their third daughter, she is three years old and just over a month ago, they were told Kennedy has leukemia. 

Kennedy is over the first hump of her cancer journey. One month into her treatments, her family is told the treatments have worked and for the next two years, treatments she will receive will be to make sure it doesn't come back.             

"She is probably the happiest, kindest kid. She rarely gets upset. She shares, she's considerate of others. In a lot of ways, she's mature beyond her years. She loves playing outside, riding her bike, and feeding grass to the bison. I always said if Kennedy was your first baby, you'd have ten of them because she was just the easiest kid."  

Kennedy McInnes

How do you tell your three-year-old they have cancer?   

Earle is very pragmatic. 

"I thought it was important to be open and transparent with her because she was going to hear us talking around her anyways, so she needs to fully understand it. Our other girls are five and seven. So, we were able to sit them down and talk about it and how these cells were in her blood, but that the medicine's job is to get rid of it. Sometimes she'll be feeling good and other times she won't be and giving them kind of a general understanding too. We've kept it as real life as we can because it is real life. It's our reality now."  

Kennedy is handling everything quite well. 

"The nurses, they all love her. She just goes with the flow, and they have to check her vitals, all the poking and prodding and whatever, she just goes with the flow. And she's been such a hero through all of this, I can't even describe it. She's better behaved in some ways than probably than some adults handle a situation like this. She's just been so brave, and we just always tell her that she's our hero because she truly is." 

Kennedy holding a popsicle

Having to shut down their business means no income, and the added costs of going in and out of Winnipeg each week, Earle is grateful for all the support they have received. 

"We've just been overwhelmed by the support of our family and friends and even strangers like local businesses. Everyone's rallied around and just been so supportive of us. There just seems like there's no words to thank them enough."  

Earle and McInnes belong to the Farmer's Market family who has done fundraisers and started up a GoFundMe page for them.

The family has been fortunate to be able to use the Ronald Mcdonald Room for McInnes to stay some nights to be in the hospital close to Kennedy and Earle and for Earle to be able to shower and eat a few snacks.  

Earle is also grateful for the parking pass, gift basket, and Thursday's hot meals and overall support from Candlelighters Childhood Cancer Support Group.