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$1 million baby celebrates her first birthday

By Rose Hooper
Million Dollar Baby - Kasey Lynn Maney

Kasey Lynn Maney

 News of a Western Carolina University student charged with murdering her baby hit George Maney hard. To him, babies are precious... each and every baby, no matter what its condition.

Maney has a 1-year-old granddaughter - Kasey Lynn Maney - and he'd love nothing more than to be able to hold her tiny frail body and kiss her smooth baby-fresh skin. But he can't.

"I had a vision a while back," Maney said. "It was a group of people lined up to get in the Pearly Gates. I could see their faces plain as day; some people I recognized. They were pro-choice, many had aborted or killed their babies. But there weren't any babies or children in line. I thought that was strange.

"Then I heard all these babies squealing and childrens' voices coming from inside the Pearly Gates. They said to the line of people, 'You can't come into our world because you wouldn't let us in your world.'"

Maney can't relate the story without tears clouding up his eyes. He can't hold his own granddaughter because she's been hospitalized at Duke Children's Hospital in Durham since she was 5 months old. Her rare and critical condition is called SCIDS - severe combined immune deficiency syndrome.
"Most of the time the doctors keep her in this special tent," said Maney, who lives in Dillsboro with his wife, Helen. "For months, Kasey had to be fed with a feeding tube, but they've taken that tube out. She's up to 13 pounds now."

Maney doesn't pretend to know all the medical terms and procedures involved in young Kasey's treatment. But he does know that it's lack of an immune system and her mom, Katina, had to donate a quart of bone marrow for a transplant.

Although Kasey appeared healthy at birth, around 4 months old she developed a violent cough and recurring ear infections.

"I knew something was wrong, very wrong,'" said Katina, even though the emergency room personnel sent them back home. As Kasey's condition worsened, Katina and her husband, Gary, drove Kasey to the emergency room in Asheville. "One of the doctors in Asheville suspected Kasey's problems was lack of an immune system, so he did blood work and performed a bronchoscopy. That's when he referred us on to Duke."

"We call Kasey our 'million-dollar baby' because of all her medical expenses. Plus it costs for her mom and dad to go down there and stay with her," grandfather Maney said. "Somebody has to be with her all the time."

Kasey's parents alternate weeks staying at Duke with their young daughter. Gary sold his businesses to his son David so he could have flexible time, while Katina is taking a leave of absence from her job in Cherokee.

Kasey's condition is improving. But before she can be released from the hospital, her T-cell count must reach 60,000. Already it's climbed to 29,000.

On March 9, Kasey turned a year old and the whole family celebrated the special occasion. Some were at Duke and some were here at home, including sister, Brooklyn Maney, 5; half-brother, Josh Ammons, 9, and Bill Ledford and Gwen Sanders, Kasey's other grandparents. All united in the joy of the happy birthday. Especially since there were times when they weren't sure Kasey would live through the year.

"We just kept saying, 'Her life's in God's hands,'" Katina said.

'I know babies are special in God's eyes," said grandfather Maney, praising the Lord for keeping their million-dollar baby alive.

Back to Archive: 03/16/00.