Lehi People
Chick-fil-A cookies: hope for kids like McKynzee
Rob Shelton | Lehi Free Press
McKynzee was in the middle of cheerleader tryouts when the pain started. The tryout required a one mile run that would normally be no problem. But this time was different.
The pain didn’t go away. It got worse. When doctors finally got test results back, the news came fast. It appeared to be some form of cancer. She was taken by ambulance with her mom from Utah County to Primary Children’s Hospital in Salt Lake.
“We couldn’t say cancer — like almost don’t say the “c” word,” McKynzee said on Monday afternoon at a Chick-fil-A celebration lunch in American Fork in her honor. “Anytime anyone would say the “c” word aloud we all started crying. And it’s so sad. But now I can say it. I feel great, and I’m done with it.”
Done with it meant she rang the bell. Ewing sarcoma — that’s what the biopsies confirmed — put McKynzee through a year of treatment that swallowed her summer of 2025 whole. Now she’s getting it back.
Make-A-Wish Utah granted McKynzee a Caribbean cruise — Jamaica, the Bahamas and beyond — and she leaves in a matter of weeks. Her wish proclamation came in January, sponsored by Kenect, a Pleasant Grove-based technology company that provides auto dealerships with an all-in-one platform. Kenect employees didn’t just lend the company name and pay for the party to announce McKynzee’s wish— they raised enough money to help grant at least five wishes for kids just like McKynzee.
Kenect co-founder, Graham Anderson, said “We loved having the opportunity to get to know McKynzee and her family. We got to see firsthand how strong she is while going through such a challenging time. We are so grateful we got to play a small part in her journey, and are thrilled that she’ll be able to enjoy her own Wish!”
Dusty Pyne, who operates the Chick-fil-A restaurants in American Fork and Lehi, brought McKynzee and her family in for a small complimentary celebration lunch during McKynzee’s spring break. The gesture was personal — but what’s coming next month is even bigger.
On April 14 and 15, Chick-fil-A locations across Utah will run a Cookies for Kids campaign. One dollar from every cookie sale goes directly to Make-A-Wish Utah. Pyne has pledged to match all funds raised at his American Fork and Lehi locations on both days.
For McKynzee’s father, that kind of community response means more than most people realize. He described watching his daughter run out of energy during treatment — and watching Make-A-Wish step in again and again to give her something to look forward to.
“There were times she was completely down,” he said. “Getting her to these events actually helped the doctors — they’d say, let’s do blood transfusions, let’s make sure your numbers are up so she has a great time. Every single thing just lined up.”
He said Make-A-Wish gave McKynzee a reason to push through one more hard week. “I could get through this next week — and I have this to go to,” he said, recapping her mindset. “That’s the biggest thing.”
“Cancer sucks,” McKynzee said simply. “But this helped me go through the journey so much.”
Of all the things to wish for, McKynzee chose a Caribbean cruise because it represents everything cancer took from her in 2025. Sun. Freedom. Summer.
Make-A-Wish Utah’s efforts this month extend beyond McKynzee’s story. The organization has launched its fifth annual Drive for Wishes campaign — the largest fundraising and media effort in its 39-year history. Three Make-A-Wish cars are traveling across the state throughout April, creating wish-granting moments and amplifying stories like McKynzee’s. The campaign runs through April 29, closing with a World Wish Day event at the Kahlert Foundation Wishing Place.
Anyone looking to support wish kids directly don’t have to travel far. Just stop by either Chick-fil-A on April 14 or 15, order a cookie and know that $1 will go towards granting more wishes for kids like McKynzee to give them hope during their toughest days.
Want to learn more about Make-A-Wish Utah’s Drive for Wishes campaign? Follow along at makeawishutah.org and on social media throughout April.
