Family urges community to get pertussis vaccination

On May 3, Kenadee Wilde was just 8 weeks old when she died of pertussis.

And on Wednesday, the Wildes, and their friends, are urging the community to get educated — with a rodeo.

Morgan and Amber Wilde were nervous, but excited, when their second child — their daughter — Kenadee, was born on Feb. 28. She was 8 weeks premature, and her parents got the pertussis vaccine.

“And so we got the shots, so we’re all up to date on vaccines, and then when she was about 8 weeks old she was put in the hospital,” Amber Wilde said.

Kenadee was coughing, and she got a fever.

“Pertussis was never a thought, you know?” Morgan Wilde said.

And after being admitted to Portneuf Medical Center on April 28, she was flown to Primary Children’s Center in Salt Lake City.

“You never think that three days later, you’re going to be driving home without a little girl in your car, you know? And that’s the hardest part about it, I think,” Morgan Wilde said.

“It was like, unbelievable, like, reality hits hard,” Amber Wilde said.

“You’re mad. You’re upset. You know, and it’s hard, because you’re sitting there watching this little 8, 9 week old baby that can’t fight for themselves, and you want to do something for them but you can’t,” Morgan Wilde said.

And even though the Wildes couldn’t do anything to save Kenadee, their friends, Mackenzie and Nat Fly took notice.

“It hit us hard as well, because we had a baby two weeks after they had, and so just the scare of knowing our own baby that they had lost theirs,” Mackenize Fly said.

But the Flys decided they could do something.

“My husband, we’re like, gosh, because what do you do for something like that when it happens? He got thinking, we should put on a benefit rodeo for them,” Mackenzie Fly said.

And this Saturday it’s happening. Southeastern Idaho Public Health will be giving free pertussis shots to kids under 18, and charging a small fee for adults. The proceeds from the rodeo, raffle, and t-shirt sales will go to help defray the Wildes’ medical bills.

The Wildes said this isn’t about how much money they can raise, instead, it’s about how much awareness they can bring to the community.

Kenadee was scheduled to get her vaccination the Monday after she went into the hospital for the first time.

“And so, that’s really frustrating to know that if people would have vaccinated, that we could have avoided this,” Morgan Wilde said.

The rodeo benefit takes place this Saturday at 6 p.m. in McCammon. Tickets are $5 for adults, $3 for kids 12 and under, and free for kids 5 and under. There will be a fundraiser lunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Thursday at Texas Roadhouse in Pocatello.

Find out more on the rodeo’s Facebook event page.