Stories of Hope: Bailey family grateful for support from FBH Community
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Kendra and Jeremy Bailey are the parents of four boys: Terrell, 16; Shykeem, 13; Kymond, 12; and Jeremy, 9. The Bailey family is close-knit and has been living on “nothing but prayer” for the past few years.
In 2019, their oldest son, Terrell, was diagnosed with lung and bone cancer. He underwent surgery on his leg and chemotherapy treatment that year and went into remission. In April of this year, the family found out that the bone cancer in his leg was back. Two weeks a month, Kendra goes with Terrell to receive treatment at Nemour’s Children’s Hospital in Lake Nona. His doctor is optimistic with recent scans showing no new tumor growth in his lungs or his leg.
From April through September, Kendra’s company, a local radiology facility, allowed her to work from home during Terrell’s treatment weeks. However, a new management company told her in September that working at home was no longer an option. She was let go from employment before her request for FMLA was approved. Through the connection of a family member, she has a new job prospect expected to start in January. This will be with another medical company and will be all at-home work, allowing her to keep her family a priority.
Currently, the family is relying on her husband’s salary; he is a car detailer at Kia dealership. Her family members have been helping them with small donations to help cover their bills. The family has received grocery assistance through FBH Community’s VCan program.
The Bailey family was introduced to FBH Community when their son, Jeremy, was selected to participate in the FBHonor’s program at Food Brings Hope’s Lemerand Center of Excellence. Jeremy is an excellent student at Palm Terrace Elementary. When he is not in school or after-school tutoring, he enjoys video games like Fortnite.
Kendra shared, “Jeremy is my simple child. He is quiet and keeps to himself. He doesn’t ask for anything and only had two wishes on his Christmas list.”
For Christmas, Jeremy has asked for his laptop screen to be repaired. It cracked last year and said he did not want a new one, just to fix his old one. He also would like a new Xbox controller. Jeremy loves all things Sonic the Hedgehog and Super Mario Brothers. Kendra said all of her boys need winter clothing and shoes; they have all grown so much this year. Jeremy likes to wear hooded sweatshirts and sweatpants/joggers. He is a size 12 in boys clothing and a size 4 in youth shoes.
Regarding Terrell, Kendra stated, “He has great manners. He never complains, not even about having to go for treatment. He just stays positive that he will beat this.”
Prior to his diagnosis, Terrell played football and basketball. He has a prosthetic rod in his leg and due to scarring, he does not like to wear shorts. He likes to be comfortable in sweatshirts and sweatpants/joggers. He is a men’s small in clothing and wears a men’s size 11 in shoes. He is really into Nike retro Jordan’s shoes, too.
Shykeem is the “energetic one” in the family. He loves attention and all things LeBron James and LA Lakers. He would love a Laker’s jersey or shirt. He wears youth size 14/16 in clothing and is a men’s size 6 in shoes.
Lastly, Kendra describes Kymond as the “designer” of the family. He really likes fashion and is considered a “cool kid." However, Kymond is not picky either, he appreciates all that he gets. He also likes to be casual in sweatshirts and sweatpants like his brothers. He is very laid back and easy going. He also wears youth size 14/16 in clothing and men’s shoe size 6.
Kendra shared that this year for Christmas they will be home together and praying for miracle healing for Terrell, “there is not a better gift.” They are incredibly grateful for the support that they have received from their family and FBH Community, stating, “we know better days are ahead of us.”
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About this series: FBH Community’s mission is to foster community organizations that proactively work to eradicate the causes of generational poverty. FBH Community hosts programs such as Food Brings Hope’s KidsZone, TeenZone, FBHonors, Change the Code and Lemerand Center of Excellence at Daytona State College. Another FBHC program is VCan with the mission of eradicating hunger and homelessness among children and youth in Volusia County. FBHC Homes Bring Hope’s mission is to lead the facilitation of homeownership opportunities for hard-working families. And, FBHC Prosperity Initiative assists hard-working families in overcoming barriers to achieve food and housing stability, as well as educational and career advancement. FBH Community’s overhead is fully funded by the Hosseini Family Foundation, allowing 100% of donations to directly benefit the programs and families. Throughout the holidays, The News-Journal is highlighting the organization by publishing the stories of some of its young participants and families. To donate to the organization, or to brighten the holidays by donating a gift to a child, visit FBHCommunity.org, email info@FBHCommunity.org or call 386-317-5767.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Stories of Hope: Bailey family grateful for support from FBH Community
