Kaylen’s Fight

Last year, we were honored to meet Angela who is the mom of Kaylen and Kamdyn, twins who received care at UTSW NICU in Dallas, TX. It was then that she shared with us that her non-profit organization, Kaylen’s Fight, wanted to honor a very special person at their annual gala where they raise money for Beads of Courage and support their mission of assisting families during Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) stays and providing ongoing support to local NICUs, ensuring that each family has the best possible experience during their difficult time.

Kaylen’s Fight, was founded in honor of Angela and Callie’s baby girl, Kaylen who lived for 9 days in the NICU before succumbing to her ailments. Kamdyn, Kaylen’s twin sister, went on to spend 63 days total in the NICU and came home 4 days before her original due date.  Read more about their story here.

In Honor of Tony Ryan

Kaylen’s Fight sponsors the Beads of Courage NICU program at UTSW and reached out to us at Beads of Courage to honor a dear friend and supporter at their annual gala, Tony Ryan, who succumbed to cancer last year. Tony’s triplets spent 63 days in the NICU (same as Kamdyn) and were one of the first triplets to graduate from the NICU in Lewisville, TX over 16 years ago. The nurse who was on the team in Lewisville was also there for Angela and Callie’s daughters’ birth, and since then, all have been able to unite through Kaylen’s Fight events. 

Tony Ryan loved life, lived it to the fullest, and believed the power of love was so big he ended every conversation with “I love you.” He hoped he could get everyone he knew to do the same. 

Presenting – The Beads of Courage, I Love You Bead

In honor of Tony and to spread encouragement and the power of love to all, Beads of Courage is proud to be a partner in caring with Kaylen’s Fight to offer the Beads of Courage I Love You Bead (ILY Bead). The ILY bead represents the American Sign Language sign for “I Love You”. Originating in deaf culture, the ILY sign is now widely recognized as a universal expression of love, affection, and gratitude. The ILY hand gesture combines the finger-spelled signs for the letters I, L, and Y, creating a simple yet powerful symbol. We encourage anyone to wear it and share it to spread a heartfelt message of human caring without saying a word. 

Beads of Courage, Inc. is a non-profit organization that is dedicated to improving the quality of life for children and teens coping with serious illness, their families, and the clinicians who care for them through our Arts-in-Medicine Programs. We believe in creating a context for caring transactions to transpire through our community and encouragement programs.

Since 2005, Beads of Courage, Inc. has established collaborative partnerships in caring with hundreds of hospitals nationally and internationally and worked with several community organizations to make healing happen through the use of beads as a historical art form.

Through our programs, we provide the opportunity for COURAGE to be honored, HOPE to be given, and JOY to be experienced.