There is truly no limit to what a united community of people can accomplish. And David Green and his wife Megan, can attest to this fact when their child was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
The couple’s one-year-old daughter Kinsley is battling cancer, and when Megan posted a call for help on social media, the family got an overwhelming response from the people in their locality – both strangers and otherwise.
Kinsley was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia last October 2018 and since then, she has been undergoing intensive chemotherapy for it.
Last March 20, Megan wrote up a plea on Facebook asking teachers in Alabama to donate their sick days to David – a history teacher and football coach at Mae Jemison High School – whose paid time off ran out as Kinsley underwent surgery, spinal taps, and chemotherapy to fight the disease.
In the state of Alabama, teachers are allowed to donate to a sick leave bank to help others who are dealing with “a catastrophic illness or injury.”
She wrote: “David is officially out of sick days at work. We want him to continue to be able to be with us at the hospital while Kinsley is getting Chemotherapy so if you are a teacher in the State of Alabama and are in a position to donate a sick day we would greatly appreciate it!
Kinsley is the biggest daddy’s girl and needs him to be here as often as he can, so she would be so thankful for any donated days so she can spend time with her Daddy.”
After Megan’s post, David ended up receiving a total of 110 days!
Megan Green, 29, responded to the people who donated with gratitude:
“Thank you for allowing us to be a family. Thank you for the little bit of normalcy these days have provided. Thank you for giving so selflessly. It honestly is a bigger blessing than I can put into words.”
Since Kinsley’s hospital treatment is two hours away from home, Megan decided to quit her job to be with her daughter all the time, while David, 31, had to work to provide for the family and keep his health insurance.
Kinsley has already finished three rounds of inpatient chemotherapy and is expected to undergo two more rounds. After that, she will undergo outpatient chemotherapy for roughly two years.
“Her treatment is really intense and she receives some of the same chemotherapy that adults get due to lack of research and funding for childhood cancer. [S]he has had several serious complications while receiving treatment, which requires both David and I to be here to care for her,” Megan said.
Despite the ordeal that his family is going through, David manages to keep it all positive at work, earning him the admiration of his colleagues and students.
Rachael McDaniel, the school principal, told GMA:
“Coach Green is a dedicated educator and coach. Even though he has been balancing the needs of his family, he has not neglected his duties at work at all. He still comes to work with a positive attitude, encouraging students and colleagues. His is optimism and attitude are felt by all around him. He is an inspiration to me and the rest of Jemison’s faculty.”
To help pay for medical expenses and other needs, the family also set up a GoFundMe page which has raised $42,000 from over 700 donors so far.
You may donate to Kinsley’s GoFundMe here. To see which items the Green family needs the most, visit this Amazon wish list page.
Keep fighting baby Kinsley!