Carly Renee' Kudzia

Carly Renee Kudzia, the exquisite, joyful, green-eyed dancer, was welcomed into the pink heavens of the Northern Lights late last Thursday night / Friday morning. 

Diagnosed at 10 months with Progeria, Carly was unique in every way. Her smile radiated a light that touched people. In her fourteen years on earth Carly connected and inspired each person she encountered, quietly building a community known as Team Carly-Q here in Northwest Ohio and beyond. Above all her experiences, she cherished being a daughter, sister, granddaughter, niece, cousin and friend.

A typical Saturday would find Carly in the kitchen cooking up a new recipe or a steady stream of giggles coming from her room with friends over. Carly built solid friendships throughout her life. Many of them shaped her personality and armed her with the confidence she needed to pursue what she enjoyed the most. A dancer since age 3, Carly took as many dance classes as she could, ranging from tap, jazz, hip hop, and lyrical, she also performed a duet at her last recital. (to a Taylor Swift song obvi)

Carly enjoyed being a lake girl, crafting, persuading people to make various tik tok videos with her, snuggling her poodle Rosie, spending time at Ulta, watching make-up tutorials, playing board games, chatting with her friends via facetime and solving good mysteries including Nancy Drew. Carly spared no one during family game nights; she was competitive, and loved nothing more than claiming a win at the end of the night.

Carly attended Hope Daycare before becoming a Lial Falcon, where she made life-long friends and performed in the musicals “Annie” and “the Wizard of Oz”. Carly joined her sisters at St Ursula Academy and captured the hearts of many teachers and faculty as she navigated her way through education and life while gracefully enduring a speeding aging process. 

As a Champion, Carly proudly represented Nationwide Children’s Hospital Toledo and advocated fearlessly for her friends at Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. While progeria is an ultra rare condition at one in twenty million births, Carly never felt alone or isolated. Her tight knit progeria family understood her challenges and gathered together often to share love, hope, and grief. Carly’s courage took her to Boston Children’s Hospital where she did important work in the fight for a cure through the Progeria Research Foundation.

Carly is survived by her mother, Heather Unsinger; her father, Ryan (Karen) Kudzia; brothers, Garrett and Grant (Maddie) Kudzia; maternal grandmother, Elaine "Mema" (John) Purdy; and paternal grandmother, Sandra "Sha" Stewart. Visitation will be held at Weigel Funeral Home in Swanton on Saturday October 19 from 3-8pm. 

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Progeria Research Foundation in her name. The family would also like to thank the extraordinary care givers at PediatriCare, Nationwide Childrens, Rocket Pediatrics, Boston Childrens, and Mott Childrens.