September 23, 2020

Rylee Kulick

Rylee was named our hero in 2018 for the fight she endured after entering this world 12 weeks early, weighing just one pound, 13 ounces. Rylee’s dad, Jonathan Kulick, supervisor of Regional Meter Reading for The Illuminating Company (CEI), said “Rylee was so fragile at birth and despite many setbacks, she kept fighting. She hasn’t stopped fighting since, as we still have some learning challenges to overcome, but I’m convinced she has thrived due to the special care she received at Akron Children’s Hospital.”

Rylee is now 11 and continues to thrive. She’s entering fifth grade and will attend school remotely for the 2020-2021 school year. When Ohio schools moved to online learning this spring due to COVID-19, re​mote learning was a stru​ggle for Rylee. With the help of virtual tutoring and virtual Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) through Akron Children’s Hospital, she overcame obstacles and issues with anxiety, and is now excelling.

This summer, Rylee enjoyed swimming, playing with her siblings, facetiming her friends, coloring, and making crafts. To celebrate her 11^th birthday, Rylee came up with an idea that shared her kind heart with others. She set a goal of raising $1,100 for Project Outrun, an organization that helps pediatric cancer patients design their own shoes so they can outrun cancer. Every $100 donation provides a child with custom-designed shoes, dinner for the family and a swag bag. Rylee hoped to be able to help 11 kids. Being the superhero she is, Rylee blew past her goal. She helped 30 kids by raising and donating $3,000.

See Rylee’s 2018 hero profile.

For additional information on this year’s virtual FirstEnergy Akron Marathon.

Check back tomorrow for an update on Brayden McDonald.

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