As you know, we’ve been working for months now to reunite seven-year-old Kenlee, who was removed from her home by Florida state officials, with her mother, Joy. You’ll recall that Kenlee was taken from Joy simply because she did not immediately begin administering a potentially dangerous drug to Kenlee, one that carried an FDA black-box warning for liver failure and death. Kenlee suffers from cystic fibrosis, but her health was improving at the time of her medical kidnapping. She was gaining weight, and running and playing without the assistance of oxygen. Despite all of this, and no signs of abuse or neglect, officials with the Florida Department of Children and Families saw fit to remove her forcibly from her home and her mother’s loving care, law enforcement in tow.
That was in March of 2024. For over two years, Kenlee has remained in foster care with strangers, for much of that time approximately five hours away from her mother’s home. Kenlee was five when she was taken from her home against her will. She is now seven. We knew this was a grave injustice, and that’s why we stepped up and stepped in to provide Joy with legal counsel, free of charge, so she can fight to get her little girl back home where she belongs.
Thanks to your generous support, we have been able to provide funding for most of Joy’s legal expenses since we became involved in the case, which allowed her to have high quality legal representation at three hearings over the last two months. The most recent hearing was held last Thursday, April 23, 2026, and the latest update is that things are moving in a positive direction toward a reunification of Kenlee and Joy!
While we unfortunately cannot provide more details due to a protective order issued by the court, please know that your support of this case has had a tremendous impact on Joy’s ability to regain custody of her daughter, and we are much closer to that goal than we were when we first took on this case in February of this year.
But you should also know that we still have a long road ahead of us, with another hearing scheduled for September. Our fervent hope is that Kenlee can be returned to Joy before that hearing, and we remain committed to that goal. Please continue to keep Kenlee and Joy in your prayers, and if you haven’t had a chance to make a gift recently, please consider doing so. This case is so important not only for Kenlee and Joy, but for all families in Florida and across the country. It is vital that we protect parents’ right to direct the care and upbringing of their children, so that no parent will ever fear losing a child simply for making a medical decision that does not conform to the opinion of a single doctor.
You can make a gift directly to our fundraiser for Joy and Kenlee here, or make a gift to our Mission 250 Campaign here (which will provide us with funding to help other parents around the country who have had their children medically kidnapped by the state).