A mother who lost her 11-year-old daughter McKenna Schumer to cancer is carrying on her young daughter’s legacy in a unique way.
Melissa Schumer has donated beauty products to children’s hospitals for years in hopes of helping young patients feel beautiful and strong, but after giving birth on Wednesday (March 6), teeth, Children’s Hospital of Michigan in detroit It had a deeper meaning.
“You can see her smile here and feel her presence,” Melissa Schumer said.
March 6 is what McKenna’s family calls her “Angelversary.”
McKenna’s return to Children’s Hospital of Michigan in Detroit, six years after the day she became their angel, is a full-circle moment.
Her family remembers that cancer treatment didn’t stop her passion for makeup.
“She talked about how makeup gave her courage and strength, and of course she loved wearing makeup and feeling beautiful,” Schumer said.
Schumer explains how her daughter puts on makeup for the medical staff who treat her.
With donations from family friends, she established a beauty bar at a hospital in Detroit. McKenna designed the room and logo, but it opened three months after her death in 2018.
Now, they travel across the country to help young patients experience the same confidence.
They donate beauty boxes filled with makeup, activities, and more to children in hospitals across the country. So far, they have been admitted to 25 hospitals. Some young patients even wear makeup..
McKenna’s sister, Hannah Schumer, said: “I definitely learned from the best of my past experiences, so I hope I can live up to her expectations.”
Hospital staff have found joy in the safe space it creates.
“I think just having a place to go and have a relaxing time without necessarily having to worry about the medical side of things is worth it all for those families,” manager Maureen Stith said. Children’s Life and Volunteer Services at Children’s Hospital of Michigan.
If you would like to support the family’s mission, a 5K event will be held in Davidson on Saturday, March 9th to honor the life and work of McKenna Schumer.
This run is a fundraiser for a nonprofit organization.Click here for more information.
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