At 6 years old, Kamdyn Kirby of Argyle seems destined to shine. And boy, can that little girl captivate an audience. It doesn’t matter if she’s igniting applause from 350 attendees to kick off her family’s annual charity gala, effortlessly singing and dancing to Lainey Wilson’s song, “Heart Like a Truck,” or standing confidently on stage beside the country star herself as the coveted Cowgirl of the Night.
In each of those precious moments, Kamdyn insists she’s not alone and is far from one of a kind. By her side—every day in spirit—is her twin sister, Kaylen. And trust her when she and her doting parents say it’s Kaylen who truly deserves the spotlight.
“I’ve never believed in twin intuition, but Kamdyn tells us every week, ‘Kaylen told me this last night’ or ‘I think Kaylen would really like this,’” Angela Kirby said. She and her wife, Callie, lost their daughter Kaylen to a rare and currently incurable condition called Hydrops nine days after she and Kamdyn were born. They’ve started a non-profit called Kaylen’s Fight to find a cure while at the same time supporting NICU efforts and the families that rely on that life-saving care. “Kamdyn wears her Kaylen’s Fight shirt to school every few weeks. She is incredibly proud of her sister—everyone knows who Kaylen is because of her.
“It’s awesome to see Kamdyn in those situations. She lights up every room, and our goal is for her to run the foundation someday.”
The Kirbys and their cute-as-a-button daughter and 3-year-old son, Kase, can call Kaylen’s Fight a foundation or non-profit all they want. The reality is that what started as a way to honor Kaylen has grown into a movement that has raised more than $400,000 and touched the lives of more than 10,000 families across the country. Many of these families rely on the same Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at UT Southwestern William P. Clements Jr. University Hospital, where Kaylen and Kamdyn spent their first days.
From goodie bags through the Beads of Courage program and bereavement boxes to milestone journals and holiday care packages, Kaylen’s Fight ensures no NICU family feels alone. Beyond the families themselves, the money they’ve raised has also been used to purchase lifesaving equipment like transport isolettes and jet ventilators. These and other critical equipment and machines ensure each baby and family has the best possible experience during difficult times.
To achieve this, Kaylen’s Fight has hosted six events since 2018, from 5K races and golf tournaments to an annual gala. The gala is the cornerstone of their fundraising. Last year alone, the event at Circle R Ranch raised $175,000. One of the evening’s highlights was auctioning a signed Lainey Wilson guitar and album, items Kamdyn secured through her star power. Initially hoping to bring the country star to the gala, Kamdyn wrote a heartfelt letter and met Wilson at one of her nationwide concerts.
The guitar, album, and accompanying floor tickets raised $36,000.
“We stood in line for hours before the concert, and Kamdyn told everyone that she was there to help her sister in heaven and ‘Boo-Boo’ babies in the NICU,” Angela Kirby said. “We started this thinking that it’d be great if we could help just one family. Fast forward to today, and we’ve helped over 10,000. It’s a proud moment, and the joy we experience is felt daily.”
Angela and Callie said they were unprepared for their journey and simply wanted to pay it forward.
Callie had a complicated pregnancy from the beginning. At 25 weeks, news that Kaylen had a simple heart problem had turned into the diagnosis of Hydrops. Formally known as Hydrops Fetalis, this form of congestive heart failure develops when too much fluid leaves the baby’s bloodstream and goes into the tissues. Hydrops only occurs in one out of roughly 3,000 births, though only 20% of babies diagnosed before birth survive delivery. Only half will survive after that.
“We were doing all the same things every parent does—you buy two cribs, and you get excited that you’re having twins,” Callie said. She is a nurse practitioner in Bartonville. “I didn’t know anything about Hydrops, but the first thing you read about it is that it’s fatal. That made the rest of the pregnancy hard because you’re excited for one and grieving the other at the same time.”
Callie and Angela were told that the outcome would be poor and that Kaylen most likely would pass away before they could even make it to delivery. Complicating matters was the fact that Callie was having twins. Kamdyn was healthy, and any interventions to help Kaylen would ultimately put Kamdyn at risk. At 30 weeks and four days, Kaylen was still fighting, but Callie and Kamdyn had started experiencing complications and required an emergency C-section.
Kaylen fought for nine days before succumbing to her ailments.
Kamdyn went on to spend 63 days in the NICU and came home four days before her original due date.
“I’ll never forget the doctor saying, ‘Do you want to hold [Kaylen],” Callie said. “The nurses cried with us.”
Angela added, “Kaylen fought harder than anyone could.”
Though devastated, it didn’t take long for the family to find creative ways to honor Kaylen’s legacy and focus their efforts on ensuring other families could have more successful outcomes for their own NICU journeys. That’s when Kaylen’s Fight was born.
“The long-term journey is to find a cure for Hydrops,” Angela said. “In the meantime, we are doing all we can to raise money and offer support. In Year One, we raised $7,500. In Year Two, we raised $25,000. Year Three was harder because of COVID, but we bounced back in Year Four and were able to cut a check to the hospital for $125,000.”
She added, “We can’t thank our community enough. My mom goes door to door and asks local businesses for donations; they all step up every time. The community is a big part of what we’re doing.”
And it doesn’t hurt knowing Kamdyn will always be their smiling and confident ace in the hole. In the years to come, the Kirbys know Kamdyn will continue to shine—just as she always has—by leading Kaylen’s Fight and ensuring her sister’s legacy lives on. And for the families who’ve found hope and healing through the foundation, that light is something they’ll carry with them for generations.
To learn more about Kaylen’s Fight, please visit www.kaylensfight.org.
