What started out last July as an innocent family day at the beach turned into a family’s worst nightmare when Kendall Gillis, only 6 years old, suffered a stroke that ultimately would result in a seven-hour operation on her brain.
This year, nearly 20,000 youngsters under age 15 will suffer a stroke, which remains one of the top 10 causes of death in children in the United States. That Kendall is making such remarkable strides in her recovery, parents Bill and Greta will tell you, is nothing short of a miracle given the severity of her condition.
But the occupational, speech and physical therapy that she requires is far from over.
To that end, Lilly Pulitzer at Town Center at Boca Raton is hosting a special event in Kendall’s honor Jan. 14 from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. The store will donate 10 percent of all sales that day to the Kendall Gillis Foundation. For more information or to RSVP, please call 561/368-9975.
For more on Kendall’s amazing story, the Gillis family’s equally incredible journey, and information about childhood strokes, pick up the February issue of Boca Raton magazine, on newsstands later this month.
“We hope that other parents can learn from our story,” Greta says. “If we can save just one child by making families aware of the warning signs, then some benefit will come of all this.”
