TEXAS CITY HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR Kendall Sumners had an unforgettable Wednesday as she was named an honorable firefighter by the City of Texas City. Sumners, who has been fighting cystic fibrosis, learned in December that she would not be able to receive a third transplant and would be placed in Hospice.
Sumners, who is also a member of the Stingarees cheerleading squad, was told she would have days to live but has defied the odds long enough to become the newest member of the TCFD, a road that started when she took part in Students in Government Day, serving as the city’s EMS director. When Sumners asked if she could sit in the front seat of an ambulance, Captain Wendell Wiley discovered her story and decided to give Sumners something more than just a one-time appearance sitting in front of an ambulance.
Sumners has a Facebook page titled “Begging to Breathe – Road after Transplant” that has nearly 2,000 followers who have followed the valiant young lady and her defiance to remain living and being a high school senior despite the prognosis.
“You are a true warrior and an inspiration to many! Congrats to you!” posted Yvonne and Steve Strickhausen, TCFD Battalion Chief, on her Facebook page.
She was also part of the Texas City Mardi Gras Parade on Saturday, where she was one of the city’s fire trucks handling out candy and beads for those in attendance.
