“Koalas — they eat eucalyptus leaves that are actually poisonous, but their stomachs break down the poison,” she told the Standard-Examiner when quizzed on animal factoids.

However, she’s also traveling an uncommon path for someone her age, speaking on behalf of Primary Children’s Hospital, Children’s Miracle Network and other children navigating medical complexities, as a patient champion.

“I want to help kids who don’t have voices to talk about their medical stuff,” she said.

Kendalyn lives with complete intestinal failure caused by chronic intestinal pseudo-obstruction. As a result, she can’t eat in the traditional sense, relying instead on total parenteral nutrition. She also contends with chronic pancreatitis and lung disease. But she’s not letting those things slow her down.

Said her mother, Karissa Illu: “As Kendalyn has been growing up, she’s watched a lot of kids in and out of the hospitals, and some of these kids don’t have voices to speak out or don’t have the family support. Kendalyn has been very much an advocate for kids in the hospital. … One of Kendalyn’s favorite things to do is being able to communicate with these kids and tell them, ‘Look, it might be a little scary, but it’s going to be OK. You can live with these things.'”

Kendalyn has appeared on local news broadcasts, interviewed with Miss Utah, attended events across the country and will soon be shooting a video at Hogle Zoo.

Last week, she visited the Clinton Walmart to thank employees for their support of CMN and to raise awareness of the organization’s current campaign to raise funds for children’s hospitals nationwide. Through July 6, Walmart customers can donate to CMN when checking out in stores or clubs, by rounding up their purchases on Walmart.com and the Walmart app or by going to https://www.helpkidslivebetter.com/.

CMN and its community donors help fund therapies and programs designed to help each child reach his or her full potential. Per CMN, the annual campaign with Walmart and Sam’s Club has helped raise more than $1 billion.

“When we’re in the hospital, there are child life specialists, art therapists, dance therapists and all of these different programs that allow these kids to be children in the hospital,” Karissa Illu said. “I think there are so many people thinking that kids in the hospital are just sick and lying in bed all day, and they’re too miserable to do everything, which is true, but these programs allow these kids to be more than their illness. They allow them to still be able to get schooling and still able to do all of these things so, when they get back to life, don’t have to miss a beat.”

As Kendalyn sees it, others in similar situations need not allow their health issues to define them.

“Don’t let your illness make you not be a kid,” Kendalyn said. “You’ll always be a kid, no matter what.”