courtesy of 9and10 News
A good deed gone viral is reaching Mid-Michigan.
The effort is centered around a 4-year-old girl in Arkansas who’s battling cancer.
The girl’s dad is a truck driver.
He put out a simple Facebook request — which is gaining much more support than he could have ever imagined.
From Kayleigh’s small town in Arkansas — all the way across the ocean in new Zealand — to right here in northern Michigan…
Other semi-truck drivers are showing Kayleigh she isn’t fighting her battle with cancer alone.
“She got a grown up fight in a four year old body.”
That fight 4-year-old Kayleigh Williams is facing…is leukemia.
“Nothing we could do or say could turn that frown upside down,” said her father, Bill.
Until now.
He’s called upon his fellow semi-truck drivers for some help.
Asking via Facebook for simple pictures of things Kayleigh enjoys in an effort make her smile as she endures chemotherapy.
People around the country have taken his simple request to the next level… Including local driver Shawn Simmons.
“It tugged on my heart,” he said. “Thought I just had to get involved somehow show my support for her find a reason where I could make this little girl smile from Michigan.”
This is one of several care packages he’s put together for Kayleigh now.
It will travel 774 miles from Shelby, Michigan, to West Helena, Arkansas.
“She’s fighting the fight,” said Shawn. “We just don’t want her to feel alone in the battle, she’s gonna have her bad days and she’s gonna need us for another reason to smile.”
Now — even the sight of a truck driver like her dad is enough to bring a smile to her face.
“She sees a truck driving now and she’s waving out the window,” said Bill.
And all of the thoughts, cards, and packages have definitely done the job they were intended to do.
“It’s been a big improvement,” Bill said. “She has to take a mood pill due to the steroids she takes because the steroids make her extremely cranky I guess you could say and when she starts feeling down like the teddy bear she showed you.”
“Teddy bear teddy bear teddy bear teddy bear,” said Kayleigh.
The kind words, cards, and packages have had her in such high spirits — they haven’t had to give her the mood pill in 3 days.
“It makes me feel good,” said Kayleigh.
“Thank you!”
To get in touch with Kayleigh, you could send any mail to Kayleigh Williams care of Billy Williams, 404 North 11th Street, West Helena, AR, 72390.