Plain City - Back in February, I went out to Fremont High School in Plain City to watch the cheerleaders’ practice. While that may not seem all that interesting, my visit completely changed when I met a cheerleader named Kennedy Hansen. After the practice ended, I became a recipient of one of Kennedy’s famous hugs. The love I felt from that hug was simple yet so pure. It was evident from this experience that Kennedy was no ordinary 16 year old; she was an angel, an angel sent down from Heaven to share a message of love with everyone she met.
In June of 2013, Kennedy was diagnosed with Juvenile Batten Disease which ultimately ended her life May 30, 2014. Throughout this time, Kennedy lost her sight, most of her speaking skills and cognitive abilities, and dealt with seizures. But even with all these difficulties, Kennedy always made sure to spread her love with everyone around her by giving them a hug. She also knew the importance of having faith in God and knew that she would be whole someday because of Him.
To say that Kennedy touched a lot of peoples’ lives would be an understatement. Thousands of people came to her funeral on June 5 at the Dee Event Center up at Weber State University where countless stories and memories were shared. Two of Kenney’s aunts spoke, as well as an uncle, her sister, her brother (with help from their mom), her cheerleading coach, her boyfriend, and her parents. All of them talked about how Kennedy loved being a part of what others loved doing and how she was always in tune with the needs of those around her. It was amazing to see how something as simple as a hug could affect so many countless lives. But Kennedy knew the importance of spreading the love of Christ to everyone she met. One speaker mentioned that “if you knew Kennedy, you knew how to love.”
It was because of Kennedy’s love of giving hugs that her family started a nonprofit organization called Kennedy’s Hugs. They also have Facebook page that has over 60,000 likes. On the Facebook page, one can find stories about Kennedy and all the miracles she and her family experienced, as well as comments from around the country and the world. Kennedy’s uncle, Chris, told about how he received a message on the Facebook page from someone over in Thailand who said that Kennedy’s story had been shared during a church service.
The underlying theme of Kennedy’s life was that she knew not only how to share her love, but also how to share the love of Jesus Christ. It was evident after listening to everyone talking about Kennedy that she knew who God is and how to be closer to him. To find out more about this remarkable girl and her family, go to https://www.facebook.com/KennedysHugs or http://www.kennedyshugs.com. Even though Kennedy is no longer here on the earth, her spirit is still alive, and her legacy of love will continue to live on.
