Kamdyn Kirby's bedroom in her Argyle home is filled with things she loves. "I love Dumbo," she said. "You see my room, it's covered in Dumbo stuff."
Mixed in with the stuffed animals and photos, a pair of wings is on the wall.
"Angel wings," Kamdyn said. They're for Kaylen. "She's my twin sister."
"She was a fighter," Kamdyn and Kaylen's mom Angela Kirby said. "She was not supposed to make it nine days."
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The twins were born prematurely. Kaylen was born with hydrops, a condition that causes severe swelling. She lived for nine days in the UT Southwestern neonatal ICU.
"Every day in that NICU was a bittersweet day," Kirby said. "Still, to this day, right? Every birthday, every holiday, but the foundation really helps us."
The Kirbys started the Kaylen's Fight foundation to raise money for the UT Southwestern NICU and families who spend their days there. Every year, they host a golf tournament and gala fundraiser.
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"That's why we work so hard, right," Kirby said. "To help any family or any baby in that situation. It just brings the joy to the sorrow."
Last year, Kaylen's Fight raised enough money to buy the hospital a $125,000 mobile isolette (incubator crib for newborns). They also provide goodie bags for families, including milestone markers, journals, blankets, and more.
This year, Kamdyn had an idea to help Kaylen's Fight raise money during its upcoming gala by combining two things she loves: the foundation named after her twin and country singer Lainey Wilson.
"So Kamdyn said, I want to invite Lainey Wilson to the gala, and I want her to sing at the gala," Kirby explained. "If Lainey is coming to the gala, the foundation will make a lot of money!"
The family traveled to a Lainey Wilson concert on the East Coast, hoping to make their pitch. Kamdyn made a sign to get her attention. "It says, 'I used all my Tooth Fairy money to meet you,'" Kamdyn said.
It worked. Wilson invited Kamdyn on stage to sing 'Atta Girl.'
"I was surprised that I got to meet her," Kamdyn said. "I was like, 'Wooooah!'"
Wilson has a concert the night of the gala, but Kamdyn came home with signed memorabilia that will be auctioned at Kaylen's Fight Gala. That's what you do for sisterly love.
"I tell her that when I go to heaven, I really want to give her a hug," Kamdyn said.
Kaylen's Fight hosts a Fighter's Weekend fundraiser, starting with a golf tournament on Sept. 12 and the gala on Sept. 13. For more information, click here.
