Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Ian Safford | Kansas Army National Guard Soldiers decorate military vehicles in preparation for a...... read more read more
TOPEKA, KANSAS – In communities across Kansas, parades are held in recognition of holidays and other celebrations. One small town in Kansas recently organized a parade but it was to honor one special little girl.
Hadley Schmidt was diagnosed with diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma cancer, a very aggressive brain cancer, which averages about 10 to 20% of childhood brain tumors, and attacks the brain stem. After hearing about the unfortunate news, Shelby Patterson, a firefighter with the Jefferson County Kentucky Township fire department, had the idea to organize a parade to show Hadley that she is truly a hero.
“I figured we could do a small parade like we’ve been doing for the local kid’s birthdays,” said Patterson. “So I made a few phone calls and it just took off, I never expected something like this.”
Word traveled fast, and Hadley’s parade soon included more than 1,000 vehicles, a helicopter and three prop planes that put on a mini airshow. Families and organizations from across Kansas arrived at Perry High School to prepare for the 2 p.m. start time. This included local fire and police departments, motorcycle clubs from all corners of Kansas, multiple car clubs, a superhero group out of Kansas City, and soldiers from the Kansas Army National Guard.
Six Kansas Army National Guard Soldiers staged three Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Trucks at the high school. As they waited for the parade to begin, they decorated the vehicles with lays, flowers and hula skirts to give them a little flare for Hadley.
“We’re just here to show her that she is not alone in this fight,” said Sgt. Savana Valentine, a truck driver with the 137th Transportation Company. “As a mother, I can’t imagine what the family is going through. Just to be able to be here in support of her fight means a lot to me.”
“It was beautiful,” said Misty Schmidt, Hadley’s cousin. “Not only did the soldiers stop doing what they were doing, but they decorated the trucks to make them ‘girly.’ It was touching to see and it just shows us that the National Guardsmen are people of our community too.”
“To me, this means the world,” said Staff Sgt. Jordan Young, a recruiter with the Recruiting and Retention Battalion. “I’ve been a part of parades in the past, but this one is tailored toward the community and shows community support.”
Hadley’s mother and family said they appreciated the support and the time devoted to giving Hadley a special day.
“Thank you to everybody,” said Tarah Schmidt, Hadley’s mother. “Thank you to the National Guard for taking off time to come and celebrate this parade with us.”
With all the uncertainty surrounding Hadley as she enters hospice care, there is one thing that rings true — like Kansas Guardsmen across the state, her courage through this fight is a shining example of the Kansas State motto, "Ad astra per aspera" (To the stars through difficulties).
| Date Taken: | 05.02.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 05.07.2020 16:07 |
| Story ID: | 369461 |
| Location: | PERRY, KS, US |
| Web Views: | 82 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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