Kennedy Rae Urban was first diagnosed with cancer when she was 18 months old, and the 2-year-old is still fighting.

Another blood drive for local cancer patient 2-year-old Kennedy Rae Urban will be hosted by the Paseo Club of Valencia on Thursday, May 29 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

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Kennedy was born on Feb. 5, 2012, but only 18 months after parents Kevin and Melissa Urban of Castaic had welcomed her into their family, they noticed she had lost her appetite, seemed fatigued and generally was not feeling well.

Melissa Urban said she thought it might be teething at first and doctors assured her it was nothing.

But the symptoms didn’t go away. Eventually Kennedy was crying in pain, and Urban brought her into Urgent Care.

“I just knew as a mother there was something else going on,” she said during an interview in September.

Kennedy was transferred to the Northridge Hospital Emergency Room and then to Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, where she underwent “every test you could possibly imagine,” including ultrasounds, CT scans, blood work and a bone scan, Urban said.

The eventual diagnosis came on July 30–Stage 4 High-risk Neuroblastoma, a form of cancer that affects the nervous system and can cause tumors in the adrenal glands, bones, skin, liver and lymph nodes, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine website.

“It’s a rare cancer,” Urban said. “…the doctors say they only see about 500 kids in the United States a year that get it.”

Since the diagnosis, Kennedy has had surgery and been given multiple rounds of chemotherapy, in addition to blood transfusions and platelet transfusions.

Those interested in giving blood on May 29 must call 661-904-4527 or email helpkennedyrae@gmail.com. to reserve a time slot.

Kennedy’s blood type of O+, and all matching donations will be reserved specifically for her transfusions.

Any other donations will used for children like Kennedy at Children’s Hospital L.A.

While a lot of attention is often focused on breast cancer and other adult cancers, Urban wanted to remind the community that “there’s little babies out there that get this, too. Not just adults have to go through the treatment. Kennedy will go through almost the same exact treatment that an adult would.”

“There are quite a few children that I’ve met since Kennedy has been (at Children’s Hospital), that also have neuroblastoma,” she said.

The family has created a CaringBridge site and a personal site with updates on Kennedy’s treatment.

Urban expects that their family will continue fundraising and raising awareness for children’s cancer in the years to come.

“My husband and I are hoping that when this is all said and done we can set up a fund in her name,” she said, “so we can help other families.”

Do you have a news tip? Call us at (661) 298-1220, or drop us a line at community@hometownstation.com.

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