PANCAKE FUNDRAISER TO BENEFIT:
Kendall Womack (WHS Lady Cats Alumni)
All proceeds will benefit Kendall's Bone Marrow Transplant
We are holding a pancake breakfast event at the Hilton Garden Inn on April 1st to benefit Kendall Womack.
In order to host more people we have created 3 different time slots 8:00-9:00am , 9:00-10:00am , 10:00-11:00am.
Tickets will be $10. The food has been donated by the Hilton Garden Inn. All ticket money or donations will go straight to the Womack family. Please contact the Hilton Garden Inn at 770-382-9787 to purchase a ticket & we hope to see you all there!
A huge thank you to McStatt's Printing for donating the tickets!
Kendall's story:
"My name is Kendall Womack. I am 20 years old and I was born in Cartersville, Georgia, where I currently reside. Growing up I always enjoyed being outside, as I still do today. I enjoy the sunshine and sunflowers and anything that has to do with the outdoors.
Throughout my years in school I enjoyed playing soccer and softball. Before my illness began to worsen I was a full-time college student enrolled in Nursing School so my plate stayed pretty full. Most of my time consisted of school and if I was not there I was working a part-time job at a local hospital. Since my diagnosis in January, I have had to take a break from that hectic lifestyle and concentrate on my health. So these days have been spent resting and soaking up all the time that I can with my family!
My illness came to light in early 2016. I went to the doctor for not feeling well so my doctor did some blood work and found that I was anemic, which he said was common in young women my age. In August as I was enrolling for Nursing School I went to the clinic again for a Health Physical, I still was not feeling well. My doctor, once again, did another round of blood work as part of my physical. At that point he determined that my blood counts were still not right and that I needed to be seen by a specialist. In the next round of blood work they found that my B12 was low, so I began injections. The next rounds of blood work indicated no improvement in my numbers. They continued to stay at a critical level. Days turned into weeks, weeks turned into months, as multiple blood test were performed along with hospital stays due to complications from my underlying illness. All autoimmune diseases and infections had to be ruled out. I eventually had a bone marrow biopsy.
This biopsy was inconclusive and I was transferred to Emory University Hospital for more testing. The oncologist at Emory ordered a 2nd bone marrow biopsy in November 2016. After a weeklong stay and a new round of drugs, added to my daily regimen, I was discharged and ordered to limit my exposure to crowds and especially sick people, as I am now at a greater risk for infections with a very compromised immune system.
It would not be until January 17, 2017 my 2nd visit to the Winship Cancer Institute at Emory that I would receive my official diagnosis.
I have GATA-2 Deficiency also known as Mono-MAC Syndrome. This is a very rare condition, typically only diagnosed somewhere around 50 times per year. This is a genetic disease which if left untreated will most certainly manifest into Leukemia, with little to no chance of survival. My doctor has told me that my only course of action is a bone marrow transplant and as soon as possible."
Kendall has to undergo another bone marrow biopsy on Thursday 03/17/17. This is a very painful procedure during and afterwards. Please lift Kendall Womack up in prayer for strength and comfort as she continues her journey of healing.
