The Force is with her

The East Gym at Carrington Public School was abuzz with excitement on Monday, Jan. 31. There, elementary students and staff gathered to commemorate the 100th day of school. Although the celebration was actually held a day early due to a storm day in January, the show needed to go on for a particular reason.

Carrington sixth grader McKenzie Jost had just finished a whirlwind year as the North Dakota Children's Miracle Network Hospitals Champion, and some of her "Fargo friends" had a special surprise for her.

After McKenzie's sixth grade team won their "heat" in a 100th day relay competition, they were slated to take on the second graders AND a team of elementary teachers.

But before the final relay was to begin, Elementary Principal Jenna Helseth announced to the crowd that they needed to take a break in the festivities.

With that, McKenzie was called to the floor, where members of the Sanford Children's Hospital met her at the three-point line. But they weren't the only ones there to see McKenzie - the entire Fargo Force hockey team had loaded up in a bus and made the trip to Carrington!

McKenzie watched in utter amazement as first the team's intro video played on the screen. Then, members of the team streamed into the gym one by one. Even Ogie, the team's mascot, was along for the ride. They all wore jerseys designed by McKenzie herself, who loves to draw and sketch. The design started on a piece of white paper, with simply the shape of a jersey outlined in black. McKenzie colored her idea in crayons, and the team brought her vision to life.

McKenzie was presented with her very own jersey, which she will wear for Sanford Children's Night at Scheels Arena on Saturday, Feb. 12.

After the presentation, it was back to business. Well, relay business, that is. McKenzie's team competed against not only the second graders and the teachers, but also 10 members of the Fargo Force hockey team.

Victory was sweet for McKenzie and her classmates, as the sixth graders beat them all!

The Force mascot, Ogie, went through the crowd in the stands, high fiving students. Then, members of the team sat in the hallway and signed autographs for the students.

As was reported in the Independent last February, McKenzie was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis at birth, confirmed with a sweat chloride test a few weeks after she was born. Cystic fibrosis is a genetic disease that causes a person to secrete thick, sticky mucus. The mucus builds up in the person's system, damaging the lungs, digestive system and other organs. More than 30,000 children and adults in the United States have CF.

As her mom, Amelia, explained last year in a video produced by Sanford, "Managing McKenzie's cystic fibrosis has been really hard."

The video illustrated how McKenzie was bound to the couch many days, with low oxygen and little energy. She was taking breathing treatments twice a day, making her mornings rushed and her evenings a struggle, as she couldn't just "jump into bed" at the end of a long day. She was also hospitalized several times and prescribed a range of medications.

In the months before McKenzie was named the North Dakota Children's Miracle Network Hospitals Champion, her caregivers helped her access Trikafta, a highly efficient therapy for cystic fibrosis patients. And it has made a world of difference for her.

Amelia says of Sanford, "I've learned to trust them with her life, literally,"

Her mom's hopes and dreams for McKenzie are for her to "get to live like a kid."

On Monday, McKenzie did just that. She was full of energy and spunk.

"I can breathe so much better," she said.

McKenzie has four siblings, Xavier, Elise, Makayla and Aubrey. Her mom, Amelia, married Dustin Hinrichs last fall. They also have a new addition to their family on the way.

McKenzie wears the number 65 on her jersey, a number she has become all too familiar with. As a child with cystic fibrosis, the number 65 was used as a tool to help her learn how to say the name of the disease she has known all her life.