Metro Detroit's McKenna's Beauty Bar brings joy to children with cancer after loss

DETROIT (FOX 2) - A young aspiring makeup artist never got to see her dream come true after losing her life to cancer. Now, a community is coming together to keep her memory alive, helping other children cope with the illness.

The backstory:

McKenna Schummer wanted to be a makeup artist. She never got to see that dream come to fruition while she was alive. McKenna’s chance to be a normal child was changed because, after a cancer diagnosis in her case and in many, everything changed.

"She fought for almost 2 years and every time that she felt good, you knew she felt good, she looked good," said Melissa Schummer. "She was running around with her friends like a normal kid would be doing. She was playing softball and golf that very day. Our world turned upside down, and we didn’t get to come home ever again."

Why you should care:

11-year-old McKenna Schummer lost her battle with cancer, but her legacy lives on, as McKenna’s Beauty Bar has become a place of solace and beauty for young patients who are sometimes fighting for their lives at Children’s Hospital of Michigan.

"Kids and teens need a space where they can get out of their room. Where they can have fun and can just be themselves," said Sinead Nimmo with Children's Hospital of Michigan. "They’re not worried about their illness or their condition."

What's next:

It all started at their location in Detroit but now McKenna’s Beauty Bar boxes have been delivered at dozens of children’s hospitals across America.