11-year-old-girl with Debilitating Disease Needs Your Prayers

Scoliosis is a condition where a person’s spine develops an irregular curve that can worsen over time. One brave little girl, diagnosed with this condition in 2023, is in urgent need of surgery. She awaits an international organization’s decision on the best procedure for her. In the meantime, her mother has reached out to the public, not just for assistance, but for heartfelt prayers for her eleven-year-old daughter. News Five’s Marion Ali visited Jenica Jenkins today and found that despite her challenges, she strives to live like any other child her age. Here’s that report. Here’s that report.

 

Jenica Jenkins, Needs Surgery

(Singing…I Love You, Lord…of the goodness of God.)

 

Marion Ali, Reporting

Jenica Jenkins appears to be a typical eleven-year-old girl, but she faces a critical need for life-saving surgery that has hindered her from enjoying activities other children her age take for granted, like attending school or riding a bike. Diagnosed with scoliosis in January 2023, Jenica’s condition has rapidly progressed, severely affecting her mobility and her ability to perform everyday tasks.

 

Kezia Young, Mother of Jenica Jenkins

“Within like a few months, we noticed that the curve was starting to be more pronounced in her spine. Like you could visibly see her starting to lean and her body tilted one side. Right now, the situation is the curvature in her spine is at – the last time we checked, was at a sixty-six-degree angle, meaning it’s beyond brace, beyond being able to be braced.”

 

Jenica’s mom, Kezia Young, took to the public, through social media, and began asking around for referral hospitals that could help her child. Then she decided to contact World Pediatrics, a non-profit organization that offers medical assistance to critically ill children. She got a response that gives her hope.

 

Kezia Young

“We’re waiting to hear back from them between today and Monday. So, thanks to everybody who has been sharing her story, who has been sending prayers and donations. Her case is under review. We have her MRIs because she did get a couple of MRIs, we did those in Mexico. We have her CT scan. So, they have – because Spine Overseas already had a file. I gave them permission to share the file with World Pediatric who will be reviewing the file today and getting back to us about you know, if she needs to go through one more evaluation and what would be the determination of that.”

 

Jenica has been unable to attend classes because sitting for extended periods and walking cause her significant pain. More recently, the curvature in her spine has begun pressing on her stomach, leading to organ cramping and making it difficult for her to know when she needs to eat or use the restroom. As they await feedback from World Pediatrics, Kezia earnestly asks for your prayers.

 

Kezia Young

“We’re asking just that everybody just keep her in prayers as she goes through this journey, because I know it will be a tough journey for her and for myself. So, right now, we’re just asking for prayers.”

 

Jenica, who was also diagnosed with autism, attended Stella Maris School, where she took great pride in her English classes. Now, as she transitions to home-schooling, Jenica is doing her best to embrace a normal childhood, despite the challenges she faces.

 

Jenica Jenkins

“I like to decorate my doll house a lot. And it’s so much fun because I can play with them. I can put them to sleep, cook, anything.”

 

Marion Ali for News Five.

 

Kezia Young has opened an account at Atlantic Bank under the name Kezia Arnold – account number two-one-one-five-three-four-one-five-one. She has also opened a Go Fund Me page for her daughter where you can assist them through this time. And if you would like to contact her directly, you can call or message her at six-two-one-eight-nine-four-zero.