TripIt Blog
  • Blog
  • Travel Tips
  • News & Culture
  • Photo & Video
  • #TripItChat
  • Blog
  • Travel Tips
  • News & Culture
  • Photo & Video
  • #TripItChat

Meet Mackenna, the Teen Whose Wish TripIt is Helping Take Flight

By Jess Skelton • November 12, 2014 • News & Culture

Last week was an exciting one here at TripIt. We announced our partnership with the Make-A-Wish Foundation, the adoption of Kenna’s wish through Make-A-Wish Greater Bay Area, and our partnership with C.C. Chapman of Never Enough Days. 

 

If you haven’t heard about the adoption of Kenna’s wish, here’s a brief overview: At age 13, Kenna was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis. At a young age, she had to endure an aggressive treatment, which included chemotherapy pills. Although the pills helped fight the colitis, they eventually led to her leukemia diagnosis three years later. At this point, Kenna’s life depended on finding a bone marrow donor. And they did: halfway across the world, in Australia. 

 

IMG_2845
 

Her wish is to go to Australia to meet her bone marrow donor, and she will: in five short days. We’ve been lucky enough to meet Kenna in person and get to know her and her family, and we can’t tell you enough what amazing, inspiring people they are. We interviewed Kenna recently about her illness, her life, and her plans for the future. Here’s what she had to say:

 

How did you start working with Make-A-Wish?
Kenna: When I first got diagnosed with leukemia I said, ‘do I finally get my Make-A-Wish?’ By then, I had already gone through so much, but ulcerative colitis wasn’t considered a life-threatening disease, so I wasn’t eligible for a wish.  At the time, I was also 15 and boy crazy. My first wish was to have Josh Hutcherson as my prom date. Then, I got sick and wasn’t able to do my Make-A-Wish. By the time I was better, I was much older and decided I wanted to go Australia to meet Danny [my bone marrow donor] I was lucky to get to make that switch.

 

What inspires you to fight?
Kenna: I come from a long line of survivors. We call my dad’s mom a cat because it seems like she has nine lives! When I got sick, we realized that I’d gotten that trait form her.

 

Also, I’m not scared of dying. I’m scared of being alone and without my family. When I was sick I imagined what it would be like after I passed—pretended like I was a fly on the wall watching my family, and it wasn’t a pretty picture. They were sad and heartbroken. So, instead of giving up, I lived through them and I lived for me. I fought like hell because I don’t want to leave the people I love.

 

IMG_6833
 

What makes you smile?
Kenna: Most days it’s just waking up that makes me smile. Other days, it’s seeing human kindness at its best. Some days, when I can go outside and feel the wind—I smile. Generally, I’m a very happy person.

 

After Australia, what’s next?
Kenna: Getting my life back to a new normal. I want to graduate from college. I want to get a good job and I want to change people’s lives.

 

My goal in life is to be a child life specialist. I want to give back to kids who are going through something close to what I went through. I want to be there to show them that it does get better.

 

Help Spread the Word
Follow Kenna’s exciting journey on our blog and social channels. You can also follow the hashtag #AussieWish on Twitter and Instagram to stay up to date on her travels: 

  • TripIt on Facebook
  • TripIt on Twitter
  • TripIt on Instagram
  • TripIt on LinkedIn
  • TripIt on YouTube
#AussieWishgiving backholidaysmake-a-wish
Tweet
Stress-Free Holiday Travel Tips
Top Travel Faux Pas: Tips on How to Keep the Peace

About the Author

Jess Skelton

Jess Skelton

    Sign up for free

    Subscribe & Follow

    Archives

    Instagram Feed

    • Dont forget to look up! TripItPic by blondwayfarer
    • Theres no place like home
    • Whats your favorite hotel with a view?
    • Travel bridges the gap between who you are and whohellip
    • Heading across the border? Remember to take us with you!
    • We mean business
    • Man about town
    • Take a break in the Big Apple
    • Do you work to travel or travel to work?

    Find us on Facebook

    Popular Posts

    Tips for Driving abroad

    7 Essential Tips for Driving Abroad

    On February 16, 2018
    01
    Company Perks for Business Travelers

    Top Company Perks for Business Travelers

    On March 2, 2018
    02
    flying standby

    Tips for Flying Standby

    On March 16, 2018
    03

    Latest News

    • How Rethinking TripIt.com Helped Evolve Our Brand

      February 14, 2019
    • valentine's day

      Admirers Share Their Love For TripIt

      February 14, 2019
    • BWI airport

      A Complete Guide to BWI Airport

      February 7, 2019
    • winter weather delays

      6 Tips for Traveling During the Winter

      February 5, 2019
    • make-a-wish

      Together We Raised 2.7 Million Airline Miles for Make-A-Wish

      February 1, 2019

    Our Products

    • TripIt
    • TripIt Pro
    • TripIt for Teams
    • Help Center

    Our Company

    • About Us
    • Jobs
    • Blog
    • Press
    • Privacy Policy
    • Security
    • User Agreement
    • Advertising

    Other Stuff

    • TripIt Mobile
    • TripIt Groups
    • Gift TripIt Pro
    • Developer API
    • Supported Apps
    • Supported Booking Sites
    TripIt
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Google+ YouTube RSS

    Our Products

    • TripIt
    • TripIt Pro
    • TripIt for Teams
    • Help Center
    Concur

    © 2006-2019, Concur Technologies, Inc. All rights reserved. TripIt® and Concur® are registered trademarks of Concur Technologies, Inc. Other trademarks held by their respective owners.