HEYWORTH - David Brooks came home from the war in Iraq to face another kind of battle - this one to help his daughter, Mackenzie, combat a rare combination of diseases.

Before Brooks went overseas with an Army National Guard unit from Peoria, his younger daughter, who is 8, had been diagnosed with systemic juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, the most common form of arthritis in children.

In 2004, Brooks was given permission to rush home a few days earlier than scheduled when a flare-up caused Mackenzie's temperature to soar to 106 degrees. She recovered, but her condition has dramatically worsened since then, friends and family say.

In addition to arthritis, she has been diagnosed with pulmonary alveolar proteinosis, which fills the air sacs in her lungs with fluid, making breathing difficult. A rare disease in the first place, it's even rarer for a young girl to have it. The malady is more common in men ages 20 to 60.

Doctors told the family that Mackenzie is the only patient they know of anywhere who has both juvenile rheumatoid arthritis and the lung disease at the same time. They warn treatment for one may slow treatment for the other.

"It's all new. Everything they do is a guess. But they've got her stabilized," said Brooks, 43, as a benefit for Mackenzie was being readied for 11 a.m. to midnight Sept. 23 at the Heyworth American Legion.

"I just wish I could find something to make her better," added her mother, Sue, who wondered if an undiagnosed third illness might be preventing her daughter from recovering from the others. "She has gone through so much for so long now. She is so tough doing it, too. She is willing to try anything we ask her to do."

"I've known Mackenzie and the Brookses for six years," said April Williams, one of the event's organizers. "I've seen her before she got sick and now. She is not the same little girl she was."

Mackenzie's future is uncertain, say her parents, who have two other children, Megan, 15, and Matthew, 18. Matthew left this month for basic training in the Army National Guard.

Though incurable, Mackenzie's first disease, the arthritis, seems under control for now, but the pain still comes and goes. As a result, the lung disease has taken center stage. The prognosis is unclear. It can disappear spontaneously or lead to lung transplants.

For now, Mackenzie must receive oxygen "24/7," her father said. She's being tutored at home this year, a move that became necessary for the first time during a portion of last school year. Her activities are limited to drawing, watching television and playing on the computer due to shortness of breath, her mom said.

At least once a week, sometimes twice, David and Sue Brooks shuttle Mackenzie to a Chicago hospital for exams and for doctors to try new tactics. She's often hospitalized for up to 10 days at a time. She had surgery in late June to clear fluid from her lungs, but results were disappointing, her mom said. She may face another operation.

The couple has insurance. David Brooks is a correctional officer at Lincoln Correctional Center. Sue Brooks works in the McLean County circuit clerk's office. Still, medical bills are mounting. Some of the treatments Mackenzie receives are deemed experimental, which insurance will not cover. Just one of her medicines costs about $4,000 a month.

Friends and relatives wanted to help out by organizing a benefit. At first, David Brooks said no.

However, aware of the financial strain and the toll Mackenzie's illnesses have taken on her and her family, the same group of supporters began to quietly plan a benefit without his knowledge. They didn't want him to refuse again. They needn't have worried this time. David Brooks said he realizes the situation has changed over time. Accepting help is a necessity now - and appreciated.

"At this point, anything I've got to do for my daughter," he said.

---

How to help

What: Benefit for Mackenzie Brooks, 8, of Heyworth, who has a rare combination of systematic juvenile rheumatoid arthritis and pulmonary alveolar proteinosis.

When: 11 a.m. to midnight Sept. 23

Where: Heyworth American Legion

Cost: $5 for adults, $3.50 per child. Price includes dinner.

Features: Auctions, live music and a DJ throughout the day. A Remington 870 Express 12 gauge shotgun will be raffled. Raffle tickets are $10 each. Winner must have a valid FOID card.

Donations: Make checks payable to the Mackenzie Brooks Fund at the First State Bank of Bloomington in Bloomington and Heyworth.

More information: (309) 807-4176.