09/18/2026
I wanted to give a little update on my mom since so many of you have continued to ask about her, pray for her, check in on us, and support our family. ❤️
The last couple of weeks have been a lot. Mom has been dealing with worsening headaches along with episodes where she becomes extremely weak, starts shaking, and has difficulty speaking even though she can still hear and understand us. She was admitted to the hospital in Carbondale where they did more testing and imaging. We learned that the brain lesion we already knew about has grown some, and there are also some additional areas that need to be looked at more closely. Testing there did not show seizure activity, so we still don’t have all the answers as to exactly what is causing these episodes.
She was released from Carbondale, but literally as soon as we pulled into the driveway at home, the episodes started getting worse again. At that point, we knew we couldn’t just sit and wait. She already had a referral to Barnes-Jewish Hospital, and her doctors in Carbondale had stressed how important it was for her to be seen there as quickly as possible. So we loaded right back up and took her to the ER at Barnes in St. Louis.
That is where we are now. We are hoping the specialists at Barnes can help us get some answers and figure out what comes next. There are still a lot of unknowns, and right now we are taking everything one day at a time.
I also want to say thank you to everyone who has checked on Mom, prayed for her, messaged me, donated to our family, supported Kinkaid Kandy, or helped us in any way. So many of you have followed her journey and genuinely care about how she is doing, and that means more to us than I can put into words. 💗
I also want to be transparent about where I am right now. I am doing everything I can to keep Kinkaid Kandy going through all of this. It is just me behind the business. I am trying to keep up with production, freeze drying, packaging, labeling, restocks, orders, messages, events and everything else that comes with running a business, while also taking care of my kids and trying to be there for my mom the best that I possibly can.
And Kinkaid Kandy is not “just a business” to me. It is something Mom and I started together, and over the last five years it has given us so many memories, long days, laughs, events, trips, late nights and time together that I will always treasure. That is a huge part of why this business means so much to me and why I am fighting so hard to keep it going, even when life feels incredibly heavy.
There is a lot on my plate right now. I am running on very little rest, I am extremely exhausted, and I am pushing myself very hard to keep everything moving because this business matters to me and so do the people and businesses that support it. I truly am doing the absolute best I can.
I never want anyone to mistake a slower response, a delayed restock, or me not being able to get to something immediately as me not caring or not trying. I care very much. I am simply one person trying to keep a business going, take care of my family, and be there for my mom during a very difficult and uncertain time.
I appreciate every bit of patience, understanding, support and grace more than you know. And most of all, please keep my mom in your prayers. ❤️
