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Earn the Right to Live Your Dreams
10 Interview: Kasie Lynne on Always Finding the Good
00:23:10
In this episode, I sit down with two-time cancer survivor and remarkable human being Kasie Lynne to talk about her philosophy on overcoming adversity. She also touches on how she has used her battle with cancer to find and fuel her...
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Welcome to the earn the right to live your dreams podcast. This is Coit Cooper. Hey everybody. Welcome back to the earn the right to live your dreams podcast. This is Coit Cooper and I'm going to bring you episode 10. And every once in a while you come upon a human being that's just a remarkably inspirational person.
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And.
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And that's exactly what today's guest is. Casey lynn is a two time cancer survivor at the age of 15. Used it as inspiration to form the KH Kids nonprofit organization which is designed to provide a support system for kids and families battling cancer. Just recently she, she partnered with another nonprofit to form the Love helps kids tour where she is going to be traveling to 50 states. Yeah, I said 50. 50. To raise awareness of cancer and to support these young kids who are battling cancer. This is a remarkable person. I can't wait to bring you this episode. Let's take it to the classroom and learn in 3, 2, 1. Casey, welcome to the show. How is everything going for you?
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Going great. How are you doing?
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Good. I mean, any chance I get to talk to somebody like you is a good day for me.
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Awesome. I'm super excited.
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Cool. So you have an inspiring story related to your battle with cancer that has driven your passion to make a difference. Can you tell the audience a little bit about your story?
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Yeah. So about 10 years ago, a little over 10 years ago now, I was diagnosed with thyroid papillary cancer. I was 12 when I guess we started seeing symptoms. And then about six months later I went through some testing and things like that and then I underwent a surgery that lasted about eight hours and that's when I was diagnosed. We had found out I had spread to my lymph nodes and that's how my story kind of started. I went into remission that year and then the next year after that I relapsed, had to go into full treatments again at 14. And then I've been in remission technically ever since. It has been a very long up and downhill battle. I just finished a round of some treatments three months ago, which have been really hard, but just staying positive and trying to take care of my body as much as I can.
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Yeah. And I have a chance. I follow you on social media and so I get to kind of see the things you're doing and the energy that you put out, which is, which is amazing. So wanted to transition to a lot of people when they go through challenging situations like you have allow that to define them and you've instead used your situation as an inspiration. To go out and impact lives. How did you make this transition to what you went through to where you wanted to go out and help people?
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So that's, you know, that's funny because that's something that I always say to people. Don't ever let your past define you. And I. I can't say that I've been positive 100% all throughout it. There's been times when I have wanted to give up and I didn't want to do this anymore. You know, there's been times where I've been depressed, and so I don't want people to think that it's easy, but it's definitely changing your mindset. And I think that I really just wanted to give back, and it hasn't been okay. I wanted to give back, and it just happened. It's taken me a lot of years and a lot of work and a lot of passion, but I think that if you're passionate about it, then any. Any amount of work that you put into, it's worth it.
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Yeah. Okay. And. And in those times, just a minute ago, you mentioned kind of where you have these hard times where maybe you're not sure, and you talked about shifting your mindset. You know, what. What do you do to kind of to do that for yourself now?
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I think just there. I mean, there are times even now, getting ready for this huge endeavor that I'm about to go on. There's times when I get so stressed out and I'm afraid of failing. Honestly, I'm afraid to fail people and the kids. And I think that just focusing on all of the things, well, what if I don't do this? You know, how upset and how I'm just always going to wonder, what if? What if? So, you know, I think we learn a lot from our failures. And I just look back at times when I know that I really wanted to do something, and I did it because I was afraid that, you know, I wasn't going to be able to do it. And I regret those situations, you know, so now I learn from that. And I know that I'm always going to go through it, no matter of my fears or if I'm afraid to fail or anything like that.
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That's awesome. And I just have a feeling, I don't think there's any way that you can fail at this just because of the fact that what you're doing is attracting people. I mean, I got a chance to follow you in seeing what you're doing, and that's attracted me to it. It's brought more awareness to the things that you're doing. And just. So I just think that your energy going out, I can't imagine it being a failure, because I think you're gonna draw people in with your personality. So it's just awesome that you're doing that. Yeah. And you touched a little bit on adversity and going through that, and we've done this a little bit. But there are listeners out there right now that are facing it different ways. Maybe they've lost someone. Maybe they're battling cancer. Maybe they lost their job. So what specific things would you tell them, you know, when they're doubting themselves in terms of whether or not to move forward or not?
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I think, you know, that I know, me personally, when I just even recently went through something with my health, and I just got so upset about it, and I'm like, why is this happening? And there's just always. I look back at all the other things, you know, with my cancer diagnosis, and then I was so angry about it, and why did this happen to me? And I see it now. You know, it's taken a while for me to see, well, why is this happening? It's because, you know, I found my passion, I found my purpose in life because of that. So I think just staying, you know, focused, that there's a reason why everything happens. And I'm a firm believer in that. So, you know, you may not see it now, but you can always turn something into a positive, no matter what the situation is.
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Yeah. And speaking of that positive, I think it seems like one of the coolest outcomes with your battle of cancer has been the foundation of the KH Kids nonprofit organization. Tell us a little bit more about this initiative and exactly, you know, what you're trying to accomplish with it.
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Yeah. So actually, it started about eight years ago. I was 15. I was in high school, and I went on MTV on the Sheckler show, and I started getting a lot of people saying, oh, my gosh, your story inspires me. And I'm like, wow, really? Just my story, you know? So it's like, okay. I mean, I went through this. I can use this to help other people. And, you know, even if it's just sharing my story with them, and why wouldn't I do that? That's easy. So I started traveling a lot and speaking and speaking to kids and reached out to a couple teddy bear companies, and I ended up getting a huge teddy bear donation from a company in Vermont. And it was very random. It was very surprising. And we got 400 teddy bears. And they showed up on my doorstep and I'm like, oh, my goodness, this is real. So I attached my story to them. And the significance behind the bear for me was during my treatments at ages 13 and 14, I had to be in complete isolation. I wasn't allowed to walk out of my room. I wasn't allowed to have visitors, dad, nobody. Because the treatments that were in my body could harm other people. So this was, you know, seven days at a time that I was having to be alone. And also, you know, surgeries and things that my parents couldn't go back to. So the teddy bear could. And that was the significance behind that for me was, okay, you know, the bear can always be with you. So I started distributing them out to hospitals all across the nation. And as I, you know, got older, I graduated high school, went to college. I couldn't be as, you know, I couldn't be go to the hospitals. I had to kind of focus on schooling and things like that. So my organization changed a lot. And we also started opening it up to more to kids that have been in remission for years because it is a never ending battle. And I've seen that, you know, personally. So we actually donated. We donate financial assistance now. We started that in 2013. So we donate $500 per year to each to help with medications, co pays travel expenses to and from the hospital. It's absolutely insane how expensive the hospital bills can be when going through this. And, you know, that's the last thing these families need to worry about. So that is one of our biggest programs now. We also do things like we have fun days. We go to a basketball game, or we go to a show, or we go to dinner. Just connecting the families and the kids and getting their minds off of and being normal. So that's what we do with Casey, helps kids.
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That's. I mean, it's so neat. And 15, I just can't even, you know, when I was 15, I was running around, competing as an athlete, and I'd like to believe I was doing some nice things for people. But I mean, honestly, to be able to go out and to do that at 15 is such a unique accomplishment. So that's just awesome. Congratulations for that.
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Thank you.
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Yeah. And so let's keep going on this track. You know, what you've done has evolved and. And when I look through your website, I think one of the most touching things for me was when I looked at your lineup of your heroes who have impacted your life and tell us a little bit about these heroes. And I don't know that you can just choose one, but maybe tell us maybe a story or two stories or something like that of individuals who have really touched you.
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They all kind of leave like, a mark on me, I guess. I love all of them, but there are a couple that really stick out to me. One in particular, he was one of our first financial assistance patients. His name is Jamarcus, and he was 17. He had relapsed. And every time I would go up to the hospital, we bring dinners and do movie nights a lot at the hospital. So every time I would go up there, he would always be there by himself. And so I would always, you know, like, hey, invite him out here. And I could tell he was bored. Of course, he was sitting in the hospital for months at a time. And one day I went in there and just kind of started chatting with him, and he pulled out a notebook. And what he did in the hospital all day by himself, he would write music. He would write raps. He loved writing. So I ended up. He got really sick again, and I found a music producer. We all went into the room and we recorded a cd, and he actually ended up passing away a couple weeks later. But we would just sit there for hours, and I would listen to him, you know, make this music, and it was awesome. So he, you know, even though he felt so sick, he just. He loved writing music, and that's what he did. And that was something that was, you know, really cool. And to see that we made a CD and we still have it, and, you know, that'll. That'll be with us forever.
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Wow. That. I mean, that's. That's awesome. And not the part where he passes. Isn't that. That's not awesome. It's the. It's the story and the impact that you're having on people and. And, you know, the neat thing is, you know, I feel like, even at. I can't be sure, but at the end, it feels like you're helping somebody find their passion and live well, even at the end of their lives. So very, very neat. And these individuals that, you know, all these different kids you've had experiences of interacting with. And what are the lessons? You know, I feel like we can learn lessons from kids and even kids that are facing situations like that. So what are kind of some of the top things you've learned from these heroes?
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I think, you know, and I think it's. They are so strong. I mean, and it is. It's incredible to see how someone, you know, so little. And they could just be so strong. And I think that's been really helpful. Even when I go through daily struggles and just recently going through treatments, I always look at them and I'm like, wow, like, they're going through something worse than me. And they have just such a positive outlook on it. So that's been really amazing, you know, to witness and to see, and it definitely is very inspiring to me.
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Okay, cool. And so you're recently launching the KH Kids With Love tour, which, when I saw this, I was. I mean, I was blown away. It's 50 states in a little over 100 days to raise awareness of cancer and money for kids. You know, based on the things that you've talked to us about. Tell us about this tour. I mean, this is. This seems crazy. So tell us a little bit more about it.
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Yeah, so this tour is something I started putting together a couple years ago, and it just kind of seemed like, way too big, you know, for me to even think about doing. And last year, I ended up getting sick again. And so I just kind of, you know, I took a step back and I'm like, this is just not the right time. So I started putting planning again. And then I met Taylor. Taylor is the founder of With Love, and they do toy drives and things. So we. We kind of came together and I told her what I had planned, and she was like, oh, my gosh, I'd love to help out in any way. So now it's called the Love Helps Kids tour. And I will be traveling. I leave in February, and it'll be. We did extend it just because we have to stay healthy during all of this as well, or else we're not going to, you know, be able to go into the hospitals and things like that if we're sick. But we are visiting over 60 hospitals right now. We have a little over 35 fashion show fundraisers planned, which was my first fundraiser with Casey Helps Kids that I had in the hospital. And all the models were currently going through cancer or survivors. So we're super excited to meet a lot of the kids that. You know, We've helped a lot of kids nationwide, and I've. I've never gotten the chance to meet them. And so I'm just really excited to even help more people and raise a lot of awareness.
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So before we jump to the next question, how can people get involved and support that?
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The tour?
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Yeah, the tour.
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Well, we will be in almost every city, major city, so we do have a list that's on our website and then we're going to be launching a new website and we have social media that you can follow us on khkids and on Instagram as well. So that has all the tour dates. But people can volunteer at the fashion shows, they can help us. We have pizza and movie night parties at the hospitals as well. We're doing a lot of really fun things and we always need volunteers and help and you know, even just planning our visit there in the city. It's a lot of things for me to plan and it's been very overwhelming. So we always are needing help. And you can always send me an email@infohkidz.org okay, excellent.
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And I need to take a look at that list very closely because when you're nearby, it would be amazing to come and meet you and see what you're doing and see how we can help support that.
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Absolutely. That would be amazing.
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And I actually, I even have a class in the spring of 40 students. So maybe there's a way we can get them involved to make a difference as well.
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That would be awesome.
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Cool. Okay, so the next thing I want to talk about is you. I feel like you are living the way you want to be living. I feel like you're going out and you're pursuing the things you love. I can feel that when I talk to you in your messages. And this podcast is all about pursuing, pursuing lofty aspirations, you know, and helping people do that and you know. So first off, let's say this. What, What. When you look into the future, what are the things that you would love to achieve? Kind of moving forward with my organization specifically or organization individual kind of just the things that you kind of would love to do.
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Yeah, well, with my organization, I just want to help as many people. I don't think I'm ever going to be able to not have it. You know, even as crazy as life is gets sometimes, I do have a full time job as well. So this is solely my passion and what I do on my free time. So I think I'll always have Casey Hopes kids as long as, you know, until cancer is not existent anymore. I'm not really, you know. Sure. Like I kind of am just going with the flow and I'm just really excited about tour and who knows what's, what all is going to come out of that. So I'm really excited for that especially.
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Yeah. And I, and I feel like, you know, I feel like you're kind of in the middle of it. I mean, this is, I feel like the Thing that you're taking on is like, what most people would consider their lifelong aspirations. You're in the middle of it, and, you know, it's crazy. When I'm listening is you talked about how, you know, it's. It makes you nervous, it makes you scared. And I know that most people, when they feel that scared, they draw back. I mean, how are you different? I mean, how do you jump?
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I don't, you know, and I'm sure, like, by social media and some things I. I maybe put out that I'm. It is all positive. And I'm always. But I promise you, there are times, even last night, I, you know, I. I needed support from family as well and friends, and although I don't like to be needy, but I just need extra support sometimes, and especially right now because I am scared. I am really nervous about this. I don't know that I'm necessarily afraid of failing, but I just, I want everything to work out, you know, how it. How we're planning it. And I just like to be reassured all the time that, okay, this is. This is for sure. This is. So I'm always constantly checking myself and making sure that we have everything in place. But, you know, in the end, and that's what I've told, we have a lot of volunteers that are helping us plan these events. I said, you know, in the end, it's not about how much money we raise. If that kid has had fun that night at the fashion show, we have done our job. So I think, you know, just kind of staying true to my mission and what our goal is. And I know that, you know, we're going to meet. We're going to meet tons of families, we're going to meet tons of kids, and I know that. And we're going to. To be able to help them. So I just, I think just staying focused and as hard as it may be, I promise you, though, there are times when I'm like, oh, my gosh, I get so stressed out. I just maybe sometimes need to take a step back and look at the overall picture and kind of focus more on the positive things.
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And yeah, yeah, I have a feeling you're going to get to the end and it's going to be amazing. But I mean, kudos to you for stepping up and taking it on. Kudos to you when. When it gets scary that you keep stepping. And kudos for you for focusing on impacting lives. I mean, I think that's what living is all about.
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Thank you.
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Cool. And so kind of a couple More questions that I have for you is for these people who are out there and maybe they're scared, maybe they're not sure. What advice do you have for people out there considering pursuing their aspirations or maybe they're currently pursuing them.
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You know, just to. I think for some people, they think that they need to go through something traumatic. I think some people look at me and say, oh, well, she went through cancer. That's why she has her. She knows her passion, she knows her purpose. And I don't think that that's true at all. I think that sometimes it just takes a little bit longer to find that. And you know, I worked a full time job for a long time and I. And some jobs, you know, where I couldn't focus on Casey Obscure and I was unhappy in life. So I think just knowing that life is short and I think that just finding your passion and just going for it and it doesn't have to be starting your own nonprofit. It doesn't have to be a huge endeavor like that. You know, just there's so many other organizations or so many people that are in need, whether it be, you know, cancer or health related or homeless. There's so many people right now in the world that need help. And just getting out there and helping people and that's just what it's about. It's giving back.
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It's amazing. And so for those people, you're doing all this work trying to give back and you know, in terms of, we've talked a little bit about your tour, but how can people learn about your kind of your amazing cause? How can they support it? How can they just help you? Because I feel like you deserve a lot of people to step up and help you with what you're taking on.
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Thank you. Well, we, we do a lot of different things so we can accept toy donations, teddy bears. You can find all that information on our website, which is khkidz.org you can become a volunteer. You can have a pizza party at the hospital. We work with so many volunteers around the nation and we're always needing help because I can't be in all these places by myself. So we're always needing help. Working with the kids, whether it be, you know, taking them care packages, so helping in any way. We have fundraisers all over the nation now and volunteering at those, bringing people out to those. There's so many different ways to help. So you can find out all of our information@khkids.org and that'll have kind of more of what we do and how to help.
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Well, I can tell you this. I mean, the Cooper family here, my wife, my two kids, we will be doing some things to help you out. I just. I just. I can't thank you enough for talking to us. You're. You're an inspiration. I mean, I found myself listening to you today and doing two things. One, smiling, and two, just being completely inspired to go out and be a better human being and to find ways to. To impact people more. So just keep doing what you're doing. It's. It's so inspiring. I had a chance to see that even through social media, and now talking to you, it's really reinforced. You're so authentic. You want to make a difference, and I just. I can't thank you enough for what you're doing to make the world a better place.
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Thank you so much. It was really great talking to you, and I'm really excited to hopefully meet you one day while we're on tour.
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I'm sure. And good luck with the tour and just keep doing awesome things.
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Thank you so much.
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All right, thank you. Hey, everybody. I hope you love this episode. If so, make sure that you subscribe. Subscribe to this podcast and tell other people about it. We want to spread the word. We want to impact more lives, and so make sure that you do that. If you're interested in personal development resources, head on over to coitcooper.com c o y t e c o o p e dash r dot com and check it out. And as always, go out and live a charged life. You know, one where you're going out and you're pursuing your full potential. You and earn the right to live all your dreams. Have a great day, everybody.