ST. LUCIE COUNTY, Fla. — She's just 11 years old but is already making big strides to make a difference for people of all ages who are battling brain cancer.
That's because for Kendal Cunningham it's personal and now a passion that is taking her across state lines in her quest to find a cure.
For several years, Kendal has come to her father's gravesite on a regular basis to remember him.
"I come here around every month, bringing flowers and praying with my dad," she said. "He was very funny."
WPTV first met Kendal and her dad, Mark Cunningham, in 2018.
At the time, Mark was battling glioblastoma — an aggressive and deadly form of brain cancer.
"He was diagnosed when I was 7 months old," Kendal said.
She never really knew her dad without brain cancer.
It's been a part of her whole life, and it was the reason she was wearing a crown and sash on the day WPTV spoke with her.
Since her dad passed away, she started entering pageants on a platform of "beauty for brains."
"It's about spreading awareness and raising funds for brain cancer," Kendal said.
She recently won the USA National Miss Sunshine State Preteen pageant, using that title to keep bringing awareness about glioblastoma.
Kendal also hosted a brain cancer awareness "Wear Gray Day" at her school to raise more than $350.
But this month, for the first time, her advocacy hit a national level, making her first trip to Washington, D.C., for the annual "Head to the Hill" event.
People across the country run in a race to raise money and visit with lawmakers to talk about policies that support patients, research and fundraising for brain tumor research.
"I think if we get the word out, and if we just share our stories with other people, we can get a cure," Kendal said.
It was an event that her dad traveled to before he died in 2019 at the age of 35.
Kendal hopes her work will inspire some of the thousands of people who will receive a brain cancer diagnosis this year.
"All the doctors said, 'He only has one to two years to live,' because that was the norm," Kendal said. "And my dad lived for seven years and always kept a smile on his face, so I hope to actually be a neurosurgeon one day and help other people live for as long as they can."
