Game Changer Kylie Rose Jacobs
Kylie Rose Jacobs was never alone while she was receiving cancer treatment at Akron Children’s Hospital. During the workweek, her mom, Carrie, stayed with the then-5-year-old, and her dad and grandparents stepped in when Carrie went to their Copley home to tuck in her younger kids, Emmie and Blake.
Kylie’s monthlong hospital stay in 2015 was tough: She had multiple surgeries and endured 18 rounds of chemo and 17 rounds of radiation to fight her Wilms tumor, which started in her kidneys. But her family was always there to play Go Fish or do whatever to cheer her up. Kylie got sad when she saw other kids in empty rooms.
“I felt confused because I didn’t really understand why her mom and dad weren’t there,” Kylie says.
Carrie explained parents have to work, care for other kids and don’t always have other help.
Kylie wanted to do something for a patient at the hospital. She stitched together a cloth bag for a patient and packed it with Play-Doh, socks, a coloring book and more to help her feel special. The patient loved it so much that Kylie and her family began sewing more Bags of Love, as they call them, for other Akron Children’s patients.
“I knew my family was there, and I wanted other kids to feel more cared for,” Kylie says. “It makes me happy because I know that I’m brightening someone’s day. Nobody likes to have bad days.”
As news of Kylie’s simple act of kindness spread, more and more people kept springing into action. One bag has grown into over 1,300 with sports teams, Girl Scouts and school classes stuffing bags, a sewing group at a Bath church and friends asking for sewing machines for Christmas to make bags.
The Jacobs family wanted to do even more to help fight childhood cancer, so they started Kylie Rose’s Run 5K and family fun run. Now in its fifth year, the annual race is Aug. 25 at Copley High School and has raised more than $72,000 for Akron Children’s. One of the runners, Andy Shepperd, was so inspired by Kylie that he started the nonprofit Project Outrun to make custom sneakers for children fighting cancer. Kylie cheerfully sports her one-of-a-kind Nikes splattered with pink and blue to mimic the Great Barrier Reef and reflect her hope of becoming a marine biologist or marine vet.
“I want to take care of sea animals that are hurt,” she says with a toothy grin.
That dream is closer now. After three battles with cancer, Kylie is cancer free. She’s still a typical kid who drops her head in her hands when she’s bored and enjoys caring for her betta fish, Carol. Her first outing upon finishing all of her treatment? Going to the mall to get her ears pierced with diamond studs.
Now 10, she’s regained her strength and beat out her whole gym class — including all the boys — to hold a plank for 2 1/2 minutes. She plays piano and takes ballet classes three days a week at the University of Akron Dance Institute. Even with her full schedule, she still devotes time to her causes and isn’t concerned about making up for the fun she missed when she was sick.
“The more bags I make, the more people are happy in the hospital,” Kylie says matter-of-factly. “I have a lot of time to play.”