Kenley

I met Kenley's mom in 2019 because she talked about both of her daughters, Kenley and Piper, on a Scary Mommy post. I think it was something like "if your kids were named after the food you craved when you were pregnant, what would their names be?" My breath caught in my chest as I read her matter-of-fact answer, including both of her daughters in this game because they were both here, and they're both hers.

For the first time, I reached out to another loss mom. I sent her a message, thanking her for sharing Kenley, and telling her about Ella. We messaged for a while, talking about our children and our lives. I follow her life and watch with pride and love as she and Kenley make differences in the world. Because of Rebecca, I can breathe easier. Knowing she is out there, living for both of her daughters makes it easier to take my next step. She has accomplished wonderful things in Kenley's name and I am so grateful to be sharing them with you.

From Kenley's mom:

My story of making the impossible possible as a runner began on February 25, 2013 when I heard the worst words a pregnant mama can hear - "there is no heartbeat". My daughter Kenley Evelyn Wood was born silently into this world at 36 weeks and my life shattered into a million pieces.

There is no pain like the loss of a child, and I spent the next year or two figuring out how to be human again. It felt utterly impossible. I worked hard to take all of my broken parts and sew them back together into something resembling a whole person, but I wasn't whole. Even as my second daughter, Piper, was born happy and healthy, I still couldn't comfortably wrap myself around the gaping hole Kenley had left behind.

Februaries were especially difficult. I managed to drag myself through them each year, but it kept getting harder and harder to do. The third February without her almost broke me completely. I was losing myself in grief, and I could feel myself slipping away. The weekend of what should have been Kenley's third birthday, I watched my sister cross the finish line of the 2016 Disney Princess Half Marathon. That morning was the moment things began to change. The crowd, cheering for runners of all abilities, was electric. I felt a positivity I hadn't felt in years and I knew what I needed.

I needed a win. I needed to prove to myself that my body, ravaged by grief and two back to back pregnancies, could accomplish something amazing. I needed to find way to fight through the darkness that had settled around me - and I knew this was it.

Rebecca continues to find ways to honor her daughter.