Wheaton teen's health problems aren't stopping her charity work
If you follow the challenges in Kendall Ciesemier's life, and that of the charity she founded at the wise old age of 11, a pattern emerges.
One bobs, one weaves - interlacing to form a resilient fabric.
As Kendall struggled to recover from two liver transplants in 2004, Kids Caring 4 Kids - launched by her $360 donation - worked toward its modest goal of raising $60,000 for African children affected by AIDS.
Three years later her health was blossoming. But her charity - buoyed by such luminaries as Oprah Winfrey and Bill Clinton - took off more than anyone imagined, forcing the small, family-manned organization to navigate serious growing pains.
This year, the 16-year-old sophomore at Wheaton North High School had the charity under control and was working on a DVD to spread her message to other children. Things in the Ciesemier household were busy, but good. Then another surprise arrived, this one shattering the momentum.
Kendall had cancer.
A simple act
In 2004, 11-year-old Kendall walked downstairs from her bedroom, asked her mother for a stamp, and announced she was sending $360 of her own money to Africa.
She had watched an episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show about the AIDS crisis there. It detailed how children without parents were living alone, struggling to raise their siblings with little shelter and even less support, and that weighed heavily on Kendall's heart.
She wanted to help.
Months later she went through the first of two transplants to battle a congenital disease killing her liver. People asked if a gift would lift her spirits.
Kendall asked for help for the children of Africa. There were others, like the little girl she sponsored through World Vision, who needed basics like food, shelter and schooling.
She formed a group, Kids Caring 4 for Kids, into which she channeled her efforts, and before long, donations steadily were rolling in. The message was irresistible.
"If Kendall, a kid who was 11 and really, really sick did something, how could anyone else let themselves off the hook?" says her mother, Ellery.
For the next two years the family struggled to keep Kendall healthy. The first transplant, using a portion of her father's liver, was rejected by her body. But a second, from an organ donor, had better success. Nonetheless, she was plagued with complications.
In 2006, doctors finally were forced to tackle another surgery, spending 12 hours again trying to repair her liver. It was a devastating setback.
"To Kendall, it felt like she was starting all over again," her mother said.
Yet, the Ciesemiers found a way to cope.
"There was a sense of peace. Once we just kind of accepted it and moved forward, there were all these amazing blessings," Ellery said.
Out of the shadows
Throughout her health woes, Kendall's charity slowly marched forward.
She met her first target of $60,000, then blithely suggested aiming for $1 million.
"I was like, 'Aarrgh,'" her father, Mike, jokes.
But he knew this was a topic she didn't joke about.
In February 2007, Kendall was named one of two Illinois Prudential Spirit of Community award winners. Her charity, the children, were taking center stage, something that was profound.
"It was a huge blessing to Kendall to be the kid making a difference to other kids rather than being the sick one," Ellery said.
The acclaim continued: Chicago magazine named her one of seven Chicagoans of the year.
And as was bound to happen, Oprah, whose show sparked that initial act of generosity, got wind of the teenager's accomplishments.
O, the effect
Two weeks into her high school career, Kendall was called to an all-school assembly first thing in the morning.
"We were all thinking, 'It's going to be lame,'" Kendall said.
Then Bill Clinton walked onstage.
"I thought 'Wow, is the president going on a tour of high schools?'" Kendall recalled.
No, he was there for her.
Clinton, on a tour for his book "Giving," was set to appear on Oprah's show that day and was bringing Kendall along as an example of how one act can change the world.
During a break in filming, Clinton told her a friend traveling with him had just given her charity $500,000, bumping the group into a whole new stratosphere.
Within hours, the effect was evident.
"I was just bombarded by e-mails and I couldn't even keep up with the sorting," Mike said.
He frantically moved their Web site off his brother's business server, afraid the onslaught of page hits would cause a catastrophic crash.
The huge gift forced some significant changes. The Ciesemiers formed a board of directors. They established criteria on how to award grants. And they strove to catch their collective breaths.
It was tumultuous, but exciting.
Message in a bottle
The expansion continued this year as the family prepped for whole new effort.
When it came to spreading the message about Kendall's charity it seemed everyone wanted the girl for themselves.
Requests for speaking engagements come from across the country for the teenager who's exceedingly busy: She's class president, on the varsity speech and tennis teams, works at the school newspaper, teaches swim lessons, serves on the Children's Memorial Hospital Kids Advisory Board and volunteers to help around school.
Oh, and she's also an excellent student.
To meet the demand, the family opted to put "Kendall in a bottle" as they affectionately refer to the DVD they're producing about the charity. In one 15-minute bite, student or church groups can find out how kids can help other kids, catch Kendall's enthusiasm and get tips on ways to get started.
Her message translates to kids because she knows what motivates them. She talks about the basics.
"I think you realize what got you that first time," Kendall said of what she conveys. "I tell them if you buy my T-shirt, it buys a kid a uniform and a pair of shoes."
Enthusiasm was high. Filming was underway.
Then Kendall found a lump near her abdomen. When doctors came back with a cancer diagnosis, all work by the Ciesemiers ground to a halt.
Was it treatable? Had it spread? And how would any treatment be affected by the fact the teen had been through a liver transplant?
Weaving the design
As the chaos of awaiting results and shuttling from doctor to doctor swirled around them, the family, as always, gravitated slowly, one-by-one, back to Kendall's charity.
"It's amazing to me I wasn't in a chair with a drool cup," Mike said of the seven weeks this fall they spent in turmoil.
He worked on advancing the DVD without Kendall's presence in scenes and pursued other charity-related business matters.
At first, doctors told Kendall she'd need surgery and follow-up chemotherapy. It just seemed as if the timing couldn't be worse.
"We'd just spent so much time and organization bringing the charity to a new level to take it somewhere and inspire a lot of kids," Ellery said. "We're kind of on a cusp of a whole new possibilities of the new charity.
"We just thought 'Now what are we supposed to do? We're back in the black hole of this illness again.'"
Just recently, though, doctors said surgery to remove the tumor was successful enough that Kendall might not need chemotherapy after all.
"While it's playing out a little differently, it's still a big trauma," Ellery said.
As usual, though, it's a girl who for years has been focused on a mission who offers a new perspective.
"When you're in extreme pain," Kendall said, "you think, 'There are people in more extreme circumstances.'"
It's hard not to see the difference they're making.
"We really are changing kids' lives. We are building orphanages and water wells," she explains. "We are providing uniforms, school supplies, bicycles and love. These kids are just like the kids here. They play, laugh and smile - just like us."
<p class="factboxheadblack">Kids Caring 4 Kids </p> <p class="News">Kendall Ciesemier's charity has awarded more than $250,000 to groups that assist children affected by the AIDS pandemic in Africa. Their projects include:</p> <p class="News">$30,000, Zambia - Buy 200 bicycles for children to reach schools</p> <p class="News">$30,000, Zambia - Bore well to provide clean water</p> <p class="News">$25,000, West Africa - Provide comprehensive child care</p> <p class="News">$50,000, South Africa - Build Orphan Care Center</p> <p class="News">$5,000, South Africa - Fund feeding program at Orphan Care Center</p> <p class="News">$39,100, Kenya - Build girls' dorm for orphans</p> <p class="News">$20,000, Zambia - Fund feeding program</p> <p class="News">$2,300, Ethiopia - Pay for school uniforms and fees</p> <p class="News">$62,797, Kenya - Build community center, buy uniforms and books</p> <p class="News">$13,000, Zambia - Support World Vision project</p> <p class="News">For more information go to: <a href="http://www.kidscaring4kids.org" target="new">www.kidscaring4kids.org</a></p>