A reason to smile: Firemen lift 'Little Miracle' girl's spirits

Little Cadence McGuire manned the Fire Department's large water hose and nearly sprayed a passing truck.

Sporting a pink No. 6 helmet engraved with praying hands and "Little Miracle," she climbed in the Blytheville firetruck and seized the opportunity to play with the lights, sirens and reverberating speaker.

The courageous 6-year-old, who now owns "a real firefighter badge," chuckles at the mention of buzzing the air horn and startling driver Kyle Hinson, who was putting away equipment at the time.

"I got to spray water and make all the noises," Cadence said with an innocent grin.

The experience provided by Hinson and his fellow firemen offered a reason to smile in what has been a trying time for the Gosnell second-grader.

Two weeks ago, Cadence was the lone survivor in a car accident that claimed the lives of her parents, Nic and Jessica McGuire, and 2-year-old sister, Brinley.

Her grandmother, Mary Lou Herron, said Cadence's recovery is going well and she escaped without any broken bones.

"She has a fractured clavicle, lots of seat belt bruising, bruising to her ribs and her lung. That's all healing fine," Herron said.

Cadence had 10 stitches removed from her head last week -- wounds suffered while being pulled out of the compressed Nissan Moreno that rear-ended a stopped tractor-trailer June 22 on Interstate 55 near Marion.

"She's our little miracle," Mary Lou said. "It's unbelievable."

Mary Lou said a first responder happened to be a few cars back from the pileup and jumped out with her medical bag.

She is grateful for the woman, Threasha Kempson of Bald Knob.

"For some reason, they were going to Tunica for a vacation. and she decided to pack it and put it in the car with her," Mary Lou said. "But that lady, when she woke up, she wanted her number. She wanted to talk to her because that lady talked to her and kept her calm. It meant a lot to her."

Mary Lou also clarified some misinformation.

"We want to make clear to everybody," she said. "Everybody has this notion that he (Nic, the driver) was texting, and we have his phone and he was not texting... Love for his kids took his attention away for a moment -- and just a brief moment."

Somehow, Cadence is still able to smile, despite the physical and emotional scars.

She thanked the Blytheville Fire Department for hosting her, an experience she shared with her cousin, Payton Herron.

When asked her favorite part, she responded: "Everything."

"Do you know what my favorite part was?" Hinson asked Cadence. "Seeing you smile. And that's what Lt. (Doug) Brown said and Capt. (Scott) Edwards, he enjoyed seeing you there too."

Hinson said the Fire Department just wanted to do something special for her.

"Kyle has really gone out of his way to cheer her up with the helmet and the badge and coming out every single day and making this happen," Mary Lou said.

She added the community has been extremely supportive, some even fundraising to help the family with expenses.

"The community is doing a lot to help us right now and it's helping -- a lot," Mary Lou said. "It's just amazing, the outpour. Nothing takes it away, but it helps."

"We've had gifts from people we've never met," she added. "At the hospital, she was getting flowers and balloons from people from everywhere."

That support has helped the little girl maintain her smile through unthinkable circumstances.

mbrasfield@blythevillecourier.com