Helping Families Heal
Kempner Alpaca Farm Hosts Pediatric Cancer Patients
By Fred Afflerbach | Photography by Rebecca Bachtel
With a long neck, soft fleece and a smirk pasted on its face, the whimsical and colorful alpaca looks like a large stuffed animal come to life. But at Artillery Creek Alpacas and Farm, these curious creatures have a higher calling. A few miles outside Kempner, the Davenport family maintains a herd of 18 alpaca Artillery Creek Alpacas and Farm s, with two llamas thrown in for good measure. They keep these animals not for the price the fleece brings once a year, and not merely as a curiosity, rather these alpacas are used to encourage and uplift children, and their families, who are fighting various forms of cancer.
Folks from across the country needing a respite from the effects of chemotherapy and radiation and blood counts are welcome to spend a few days at the farm at no expense. The Alpaca Barn where guests stay is actually a spacious suite that sleeps six, complete with a kitchenette and full bath. The Davenports treat visitors to home-cooked meals, arts and crafts, and plentiful snacks. And anyone can take an alpaca for a walk.
The Davenports have opened their arms and their farm to families fighting cancer because they’ve been through the heartache and fear a cancer diagnosis brings. Back in June 2016, Kati and Bill Davenport’s son, Declan, was diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma — a rare form of pediatric bone cancer. At age 13, Declan was excited about playing football, but a strange and painful growth on his right hip sent him to MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.
“It looked like I had a muffin top on one side of my hip,” Declan said. “I was pretty skinny so it really stood out. I didn’t think anything of it.” Three years later, Declan is considered NED — no evidence of disease. “There are days when it doesn’t even cross my mind that I had cancer and I went through chemotherapy and lost all my hair. I’m just a normal kid right now.”
It was that unexpected journey that spurred Kati Davenport, a registered nurse, to dedicate their 29-acre farm to supporting children battling cancer. Shortly after Declan was diagnosed, a mother with a similar story called and offered to share her experiences so the Davenports would know what to expect. As Declan progressed through 17 rounds of chemotherapy and six weeks of radiation, Kati learned that there is a network of folks online who are dealing with pediatric cancer. So she leaned on others, online and in person, to help her through the hard times. And that experience is the impetus for her, her husband, Bill, and daughter, Daphne, to share their experiences and farm with others.
“This is kind of an evolving journey for us. We were trying to find what we can do that will provide people joy and hope. I think it’s nice for families to sit and talk with other cancer families, whether it’s the same kind of cancer or not. They get to discuss journeys and understand each other,” Kati Davenport said. “Our mission here is to let others know they are not alone, to provide hope and friendship when everything around you feels like it is crumbling. This farm is our home. It is such a place of hope, healing, and happiness. We are truly blessed to share it with other families.”
Fourteen-hundred miles northeast of Kempner, in eastern Pennsylvania, Lori Lafferty and her daughter Madelyne boarded a plane bound for Texas last September. Madelyne, 11, had been battling the same cancer Declan fought. Connecting on social media, the Davenports learned that Madelyne was crazy about llamas and alpacas. So the Davenports flew them down for a visit and Madelyne got as much one-on-one time with the animals as she wanted. Lafferty said the Davenport family gave to her and Madelyne “a gift that will last forever.”
“They are doing amazing things there. From the minute we stepped off the plane, we were family. There’s a bond there that is unbreakable, Kati, Bill, Declan, Daphne. It wasn’t like we were visitors. It was if we had known each other for our entire life,” Lafferty said. “I had an experience to be with her a couple of days that didn’t involve IVs, or chemo, or throwing up and everything else. And I don’t know if I’ll ever get that experience again. The world of pediatric cancer is ugly and it’s cold and there’s people like Kati who will reach out and say, ‘I got you.’ It’s an inspiration.”
Only about 200 people a year are diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma, the second most common type of bone cancer in children, according to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. But the Davenports feel like they’ve met all 200. They said they’d like to shine a light on how they feel that research for pediatric cancer is underfunded.
Looking back on a three-year journey, Bill Davenport, a colonel stationed at Fort Hood, said he felt like his family was in a fog. “And other parents that are in the fog with you get it,” Davenport said. “I think there’s a lot of sharing … to know that you’re not alone. The feelings that you have are felt by other people going through the same thing at the same time.”
That bonding among families facing the same challenges keeps the Davenports active. Daphne, 12, knits alpaca wool hats, socks and scarves for cancer patients. And she is the best alpaca wrangler in the family. “You headlock them. They’re not that strong. Nor are they heavy. When they’re fluffy, they look like these big, intimidating figures, but once you sheer them, they’re like deer,” she said with a grin.
The Alpaca Barn is listed on Airbnb as Alpaca My Bags! It’s open to the public unless already booked for a cancer family. Proceeds go to their various ministries such as catering meals at MD Anderson.
Artillery Creek Alpacas
https://artillerycreekalpacasandfarm.com
