When asked what she would tell a kid going through chemotherapy, Kennedy said she would say to keep pushing forward. It’ll stay with me for the rest of my life.” “I had to grow up faster and do things that kids don’t have to typically do at that age. “I’m more grateful, I see things differently,” she said. She said being a cancer survivor has taught her things that other kids don’t get to experience until they are adults. “I’m just so happy to have a future ahead of me where I can be a nurse and be that compassionate person in a kid’s life and help them through their fears.”
“Everything happens for a reason,” she said. In August, she will celebrate 10 years in remission. Some people don’t get what I have today - an opportunity to make an impact in someone else’s life, and I try to never forget that.” “I want to make sure I’m making the most of what I have been given.
“Having cancer at such a young age has definitely shaped me,” Kennedy said. The aspiring nurse believes there was a purpose behind her second chance at life - to help kids just like her who have been diagnosed with cancer and are scared about what will happen next. “The fact I get to play hockey is just icing on the cake,” she added. “I began speaking to the hockey coach and everything just clicked. “I wanted a school that was in a three-hour radius and I just fell in love with it on that visit - the school’s gorgeous and they have an outstanding nursing program,” she said. When her brother, Christopher, began looking at colleges a few years ago, Kennedy discovered Sacred Heart and was immediately enchanted by the school. She’s also the secretary of the school’s National Honor Society program and is a member of the Science National Honor Society. She also got to attend Lundqvist’s camp and meet other Rangers.Īt Immaculate, Kennedy is part of the school’s campus ministry, a peer mentor and a member of the Key Club, the nation’s oldest service program for high school students. It was unreal and absolutely the best experience of my life.” “Being on the ice and looking up at how big MSG is and you’re all of a sudden the center of attention on this great huge stage - it was humbling. “That’s one of those things you can just never forget,” she said. Prior to lacing up the skates, an 8-year-old Kennedy got to drop the puck at Madison Square Garden in 2010. You have to work together and if you don’t it just falls apart.”
“And now I play at the Brewster Ice Arena on the girls team there.What I like most about it is that it’s not just about one person. “I started playing at the Winter Garden in town when I was 10 years old,” she said. The more she watched, the more she wanted to play herself. games.The speed, the talent - it was just so amazing to me. “I fell in love with them when I was sick. “I’ve been skating since I was four and my dad and brother played hockey when I was growing up but I didn’t fall in love with the sport until I started watching the Rangers,” she said. Kennedy says watching the Rangers helped her get through the long days of treatment when she was a kid. They didn’t have to do this for me but it goes to show they believe in what I’m capable of.” “The fact they’re still supportive of me even now, even though I’ve been in remission for years, really shows me that they love me and that they want to help me with my future and be part of it. Henrik’s foundation and the Garden of Dreams were my rocks when I was sick and they’ve supported me throughout my life,” she said. “It’s honestly hard to put it into words. She came to the Garden of Dreams through the Henrik Lundqvist Foundation, which partners with Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital. Kennedy has been a youth ambassador for the Henrik Lundqvist Foundation for several years, hosting local community skating events and promoting health and education. “He’s got such a warm personality and makes you feel immediately comfortable.When I first met him I just couldn’t get over how very conversational he was and how comfortable I was being around him even though he was this famous personality.” “I’ve met Henrik six or seven times over the years so to get that personalized message from him meant the world to me,” she added. “I had to watch it several times - I couldn’t believe it was really happening. “I was absolutely floored, I didn’t think it was real,” said Kennedy, who will also play for Sacred Heart’s women’s hockey team in the fall.
She received the good news from an old friend - New York Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist, who sent her a video message.
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