Jul 4, 2002 By Jennifer Harr 3 min read

Kaitlyn Fike can’t speak. And yet, the quadriplegic 6-year-old, who cannot speak due to brain damage sustained due to illness as an infant, says volumes with her smile.

Fike’s mother, Renee, said Wednesday that her daughter’s condition – the result of bacterial meningitis as an infant – has made her family more grateful for life.

“We appreciate the smaller things,” said Fike of her husband, Robert, and sons, 5-year-old Zach and 18-month-old Ryan.

With children afoot, household chores to do, and the constant attention Kaitlyn requires, Fike said things like sitting down as a family at dinnertime is what is important in her life.

Another small thing brings a waiver of emotion to Fike’s voice: Kaitlyn was the Poppy Princess for the American Legion in this year’s Americanism Parade.

“They were able to look past her disability and see her for her beauty,” said Renee Fike.

And now, the American Legion, through Commander Mike Gaydos, is reaching out to Kaitlyn and her family once again.

On July 6, from 3-7 p.m., Post 51 will hold a Cash Bash at the 114 N. Gallatin Ave. location in Uniontown.

The money, said Fike, will help offset items and medication that Kaitlyn needs that are not covered by insurance. One of the things Fike hopes to purchase with the funds raised is a special needs car seat.

While thankful to the American Legion for offering a fund-raising effort, Fike said she and her husband are admittedly awkward because they know that despite their hardships, there are people around them worse off.

“We have love in our family, and that’s more important than any amount of money,” she said.

In a lot of ways, Fike said Kaitlyn has been a lesson: in kindness, in stillness of complaint and in perseverance.

“I know her life isn’t easy. She struggles to breathe. To make a mark on a piece of paper using a special device is a struggle for her. To turn a special toy on or off is a struggle for her. But she has a will like I’ve never seen,” said Fike. “None of us could have the stamina that she has.”

And when something goes wrong, and she wants to complain, Fike said she thinks of her daughter, who doesn’t have the luxury of offering cross words in times of frustration. If she could grant her daughter the ability to speak, Fike said she would give up her own verbalization skills.

In all ways, however, it comes back to Kaitlyn’s smile, an irrepressibly happy grin that Fike said can melt even the hardest heart.

Remembering that a neurologist once told her that Kaitlyn’s disabilities destined her for a poor quality of life, Fike said she would gladly take her daughter’s place.

“No, she cannot talk. No she cannot walk, but I don’t think Kaitlyn has a poor quality of life. My husband says as long as we can make her smile, she won’t have a poor quality of life.”

For additional information on the Cash Bash, contact the American Legion at 724-438-8041.