Ep. 17 | Kelly Stuckey

Today’s episode is with my dear friend, Kelly Stuckey. She and I met through Camp Well and I have had the privilege of watching and learning from her as she advocates for her son, Everett, who was born with achondroplasia, the most common form of dwarfism. 

I would have been honored to share this conversation with Kelly at any time, but I want to take a moment to personally thank her for her courage and desire to share with us today. Kelly’s life was altered forever on July 17th of this year, when her husband was tragically killed in a motorcycle accident on his 41st birthday. Although I didn’t have the chance to know Zac well, the little face to face time I did get to share with him will forever be cherished in my heart and his witty Instagram messages are a continual source of laughter and joy for me and Dave as we mourn his passing and celebrate the incredible gift he was to us all.

Our conversation is packed with wisdom about what it means to love others and walk alongside people with differences. Kelly shares the ways she has learned to advocate for her son and educate others on the importance of seeing each person’s unique beauty while viewing them through the eyes of their creator. She talks in detail about how seeing Everett through God’s eyes has reshaped her relationship with Him and expanded her heart in life-changing ways. 

Kelly’s fervent faith in Jesus Christ serves as the bedrock of her life. She lives in NW Arkansas with her precious 3-year-old son Everett. Her love for God’s Word and her church community plays a huge role in her everyday life. Kelly says both have been a daily source of strength and comfort as she navigates the waves of grief in the wake of losing her husband, Zac. Kelly says she consistently holds to her faith as she advocates for Dwarfism Awareness. Kelly is now leading Crown Beauty Bar, the salon and spa she and Zac launched together and grew into three different locations in just 6 years’ time. Crown is so much more than a full-service beauty salon, it’s an experience that leaves you feeling beautiful from the inside out. 

Having had the honor to hear Zac affirm Kelly in person, I can almost hear his voice as I listen back to our conversation saying “That’s my girl. That’s Everett’s mama doing what she does best… advocating for him, loving him, speaking truth and educating others in the process.” That sums up exactly what I see in Kelly too, a strong, wise, caring and loving mama helping change the world with her words.

I would also like to invite you to be apart of this conversation and to use your voice to advocate and help bring awareness about ways we can support people with dwarfism. October 25th is National Dwarfism Awareness Day and you can show your support by wearing green and sharing something you have learned about dwarfism on your social media pages! Let’s rally and SPEAK LIFE into their world next week! Will you join me? Be sure you tag @hellokellystuckey when you share, I know the support will mean the world to her and Everett too!

I was actually supposed to be seeing Zac and Kelly the weekend following his accident and we had planned to sit down in person and talk about all the ways she and Zac were navigating parenthood while continually seeking ways to advocate for Evertt’s ever-changing needs. How little did we know at the time… It was my honor to be there with Kelly that weekend and my heart still aches wishing we had been able to share dinner and conversation with her and Zac, but I feel so honored to have shared in a tiny part of his life.