Born Nov. 12, 2002, Kennedy was a “happy, bright-eyed little girl with a great life ahead of her,” said Darren Collins, Kennedy’s father. It was right after her second birthday, Nov. 24, 2004, that her life began to hang in the balance. Kennedy was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL). Childhood ALL is a type of cancer in which the bone marrow makes too many immature lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell. It was a little over two years later, on Feb. 5, 2007, that Kennedy’s treatment was completed. Kennedy hasn’t let any of this stop her. For almost five years now, Kennedy has been a competitor in the National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP) program and not only is she a competitor, but she is a winner as well.

About the Filmmaker

Submitted by Lauren Shepard

Lauren Shepard is a student at Asbury University in Wilmore, KY., studying media communications and journalism. With a dream of television news anchoring and reporting, Lauren loves sharing the stories of others. In her spare time, Lauren also enjoys photography and hand lettering.

Filmmaker Website: https://laurenmarissashepard.com/