Sedalia 2-year-old loses battle with leukemia

Mckenzie Brownlee loved high heel shoes, her family and dancing in the rain. She loved her life and told her parents that daily, despite a cancer diagnosis.

Mckenzie, the 2-year-old daughter of Richard and Tiffany Brownlee, was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia, or AML, when she was 18-months-old. She spent nine months fighting for her life. She lost that battle at 10:47 p.m. Saturday with her parents holding her.

Mckenzie, affectionately called Kenzie and Kenzer Monster by her family, whispered “Webo,” or “I love you” in Kenzie talk before taking her last breath. “I wanted just one more hour,” Tiffany Brownlee said. “But, I wouldn’t have had it any other way because I said everything I wanted to say to her.”

Tiffany Brownlee spent her final moments with her daughter going through their normal bedtime routine, as if Kenzie was only asleep. Tiffany Brownlee said she bathed her, put lotion on her tiny body and dressed her before the funeral home took her away.

“It’s all OK,” Tiffany Brownlee said. “I’m glad it didn’t drag out.”

Over the past nine months, the Brownlees took countless trips to Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City where Kenzie underwent a spinal tap, bone marrow aspiration and chemotherapy. Mckenzie’s chemotherapy continued and she went into remission at one point, but quickly relapsed. Doctors kept adding new drugs, but her cancer cells doubled.

When the doctors offered a bone marrow transplant, the Brownlees decided against it because there were so many risks associated with the procedure.

“She only had a 10 percent chance of survival,” Tiffany Brownlee said. “Mckenzie just wanted to go home.”

The doctors gave Kenzie four to six months to live and the Brownlees vowed they were going to make sure she got to live those few precious months to the fullest.

The family spent their summer watching Kenzie play with her sisters, Lexi, 7, and Maddie, 9 months. They swam, jumped on the trampoline, took long stroller rides and played on swings.

They also asked Kenzie what her wishes were as she was too young to be granted one through the Make a Wish Foundation. She said she wanted to ride a school bus and a boat.

People rallied to make those wishes come true.

In July, a Lincoln couple took Kenzie and her family for a school bus ride. That same day she visited a local fire station and sat in the fire trucks. She ended her special day searching for frogs.

On July 4, Kenzie enjoyed a fireworks show put on by her neighborhood called “Kenzerpalooza.”

Kenzie’s boat ride came when the VFW in Kansas City presented the family with a Disney cruise. Kenzie also had the opportunity to be a special guest at a luncheon held at Arrowhead Stadium. She was escorted by two Kansas City Chiefs cheerleaders, got to run on the field and was presented with a game football signed by Brandon Flowers.

Although flying an airplane wasn’t on the toddler’s wish list, Whiteman Air Force Base gave the Brownlees the opportunity to participate in the B-2 simulator. Staff Sgt. Nicholas McCall said the family had a great time.

“The family had a blast, especially Kenzie,” McCall said. “She was sitting in her dad's lap as he was helping her fly when he crashed into another simulated plane. She turned around and looked at him and said in a stern, womanly voice ‘Richard!’”

Gloria Rapkin, a longtime friend of Tiffany Brownlee’s, said she and Tiffany were pregnant at the same time and their children often played together. Rapkin’s fondest memory of Kenzie is carving pumpkins at Halloween.

“Kenzie had a pacifier in her mouth but she was just smiling and eating pumpkin guts,” Rapkin said. “She was fisting it and gnawing on it.”

Richard and Tiffany Brownlee have kept their family and friends posted on Kenzie’s health with Facebook posts and blogs at www.caringbridge.org/visit/mckenziebrownlee. When news of Kenzie’s death spread, the Brownlee’s Facebook page was flooded with messages from both friends and strangers.

“It means so much,” Tiffany Brownlee said. “People care.”

Angela Grigsby wrote a prayer for the family: “Lord, you were there when you knit Mckenzie together in Tiffany’s womb. You oversaw every detail. You watched as she grew and became an exuberant and vivacious toddler. You were there and are still here. And You will continue to be there forevermore. In loving memory of an amazing little girl who has touched hundreds of lives with her short life,” Grigsby wrote.

Tiffany Brownlee said she is finding comfort in knowing Kenzie is no longer in pain. She also smiles when she thinks of her precious daughter playing in heaven with her friend Morgan, or “Mormo” in Kenzie talk.

According to Tiffany Brownlee, Kenzie and Morgan became best friends while undergoing cancer treatments in Kansas City. Morgan died earlier this year.

Tiffany and Richard Brownlee also hope other parents can be inspired by their story. “I just want everyone to hug their kids a little tighter,” she said, “and don’t worry about the small stuff.”
A celebration of life is scheduled for Mckenzie Elizabeth Brownlee at 11 a.m. Wednesday at the First United Methodist Church’s Celebration Center located at 1701 W. 32nd St. in Sedalia. Viewing begins at 10 a.m.

Donations also are being accepted to start a foundation called “Mckenzie’s Smile.” The money will be used to purchase toys for children’s hospitals in memory of Mckenzie.

Donations may be sent to Mckenzie Brownlee, P.O. Box 985, Warrensburg, MO 64093.