Before you know anything about her background, Kendalyn Illu makes a strong first impression. She’s energetic, creative and full of life.
But there is one thing Kendalyn cannot do.
Eat.
The 11-year-old Utah girl is living with a rare condition called chronic intestinal pseudo-obstruction.
Despite the challenges, Kendalyn remains active, creative and upbeat.
“Kendalyn is a great storyteller, and she is fearless.”
Her diagnosis was not easy to identify.
“Lots of tests, lots of procedures, just trying to figure out what was going on,” said mom Karissa Illu. “She was a tiny little girl.”
At just 11 years old, Kendalyn approaches life with remarkable perspective.
“Is it hard for you?” she was asked.
“Depends on the day or depends on the week, but most of the time I really don't care, like 95% of the day,” Kendalyn said. “I'm either crafting or playing.”
She’s an artist, a dancer and a loyal friend. A medical backpack she carries everywhere helps make those moments possible.
The backpack is her lifeline.
Her family says it supports the IV line that delivers the nutrition and medical support she needs to survive.
“With that IV line that she has it goes right to the right ventricle of her heart,” a family member explained. “And so if that line were to break, she can bleed out very quickly. She can get air embolisms where air gets trapped in her heart. And she can go septic.”
Kendalyn also has an unlikely protector: her dog, Reggie.
“We were at McDonald's with my cousins and he started like smacking me and my mom and my brother,” Kendalyn said. “He was literally like smacking us … because it was leaking, but we didn't know that.”
Reggie had detected a problem with her medical line before the family realized what was happening.
Behind Kendalyn is a support system working around the clock.
Her mom manages her care at home. Her father, Rob, works long days to support the family.
“I've just gone to work to make sure that Karissa has been able to stay at home,” he said.
The family also receives support through a state program that helps children with severe medical conditions.
Her care team at Primary Children’s Hospital has also played a key role.
“My doctor called me and said, ‘Hey, I'm opening up a motility clinic at Primary Children's, and I want Kendalyn to be a part of my program,’” a family member said.
Now Kendalyn’s story is being shared across the country.
She has been selected as a Children’s Miracle Network Champion, representing children with serious medical conditions nationwide.
“That means I'm representing medical kids or kids like me all across America,” Kendalyn said.
Her family says they are grateful for the opportunity to share her story.
“We feel so privileged to get to share stories like Kendalyn’s story on a larger stage so people can see she is going through something so difficult,” a family member said. “But through the care from Primary Children’s, she still gets to be a kid.”
This May, Kendalyn’s face will appear on General Mills cereal boxes sold at Costco stores across the country.
For Kendalyn and her family, the attention isn’t about recognition. They hope it inspires others to support Children’s Miracle Network, which helps fund care at 170 children’s hospitals nationwide — and helps kids like Kendalyn keep doing what they love most.
Crafting. Dancing. And simply being a kid.
