Kaylee was born on June 12th and was called home to God on January 23rd. She is the daughter of Paul (III) & Melissa Havrilka of Alma, IL and the granddaughter of Paul (Jr) & Judy Havrilka of Woodlawn and Brad & Theresa Miller of Dix. Kaylee’s dad is a Paramedic with Fayette County Hospital in Vandalia and also works with Litton Ambulance part time. He is a Volunteer Fireman with Kinmundy-Alma Fire Department and has 2 semesters to complete to get his RN at Kaskaskia College. Melissa is a CNA and worked at Vandalia and Doctors Nursing Homes before Kaylee arrived. She was part of Positive Youth Development that put on an annual musical in Woodlawn.
Kaylee Ann was with us for 7 ½ months and spent 5 of those in St Louis Children’s Hospital, mostly in the Pediatric ICU. She had 6 surgeries during her short time of which 4 were related to her congenital heart problem. She was on a ventilator for her entire life and she battled with pneumonia after her last heart surgery before her kidneys finally gave out. She was a tough little girl fighting back after all these adversities. We always had hope that each one of the surgeries would be the last and she would soon recover. She was home for 2 ½ months in the late summer and early fall and we had 3 really great days with Kaylee in the hospital on her last weekend when she was baptized. As her dad said a few days before she went to heaven, “God needs her by his side more than we do. Please pray for Kaylee, to seek the real freedom in God's love.”
While most of the hospital bills were covered by insurance, there are several doctor bills and 24-hour home nursing care bills that are currently in excess of $35,000. As the medical bills continue to come in, we anticipate this amount to rise to as much as $60,000. Paul and Melissa are just starting their lives together, and are unable to meet these extra expenses.
Msgr. James P. Burke Council # 2964 of the Knights of Columbus is sponsoring a Mostaccioli Dinner & Dance with a benefit auction on Saturday evening April 5 at St Mary’s Parish Center in Mt Vernon. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children 12 and under. We are encouraging several community businesses as well as sports teams and celebrities to make cash donations or to donate items for the auction. This is how the Knights hope to help raise most of the necessary funds for their brother Knight Paul and his wife Melissa. We hope that everyone will be able to help in some way. Thank you for your support.
Other important sites about KAYLEE
More Information
Kaylee and Melissa
Kaylee and Uncle Josh
Our Little Angel
Kaylee comes home
