KENZA : A Life Story Too Brief

as told by her father, Robert Schnur

It was late in the afternoon in October 1993 and we were out for a drive when my wife Soumaya felt Kenza getting close. 

Home we rushed, final preparations to make. As we got inside, CLICK, the power went out. Our Kenza certainly knew how to make an entrance. We spent the rest of the day timing contractions and waiting for Kenza. I was so excited I think I shaved twice. We remained home under doctors’ orders, we waited, and waited, in the dark, waiting for Kenza, waiting for our Love. 

Kenza was born the next day.

With Kenza’s arrival, our family melted together as I know must be the case for any new parents. We became One Love.

For over a decade every moment was all three of us. We can count the number of babysitters we had on one hand for those first 10 years, we simply couldn’t be apart and loved each other so much. Kenza was our prize, and we were hers.

From the age of three, Kenza traveled with me every summer to visit my mother in New York and my sister’s family on the beach in Sag Harbor as our sacred father and daughter time. Those, along with countless family trips will fill our hearts and minds for eternity. 

At the age of 5, Kenza made up a special, secret word that we would use to tell each other we loved each other that only we would know. The word, our word, is embedded in this story and whenever I hear it, I know it is Kenza with us. 

We were living a blissful life. As the perfect tricycle, we traveled the world on the wings of the Love we shared, knowing that there was no greater force in the universe.

Kenza laughed, kissed, and hugged us countless times a day and displayed the most beautiful kindness and empathy I have ever witnessed to this day. Kenza loved and was loved by hundreds of friends. She brought everyone in her school classes together as one. She took a special interest in the shyest and loneliest child in the class and that child blossomed. She brought food to the homeless, sheltered stray dogs and cats, and generally demonstrated the immense size of her heart. Kenza was and remains the most beautiful true empath I have ever known.

As we became more fortunate financially, we had the occasional luxury of first-class travel. Kenza proclaimed to herself, “I am the person who brings all the classes together as one!” Kenza made Soumaya and I the best versions of ourselves, and we had never known such love could exist. Kenza attended Le Lycée Français from preschool through 8th grade. I took Kenza to school each morning and one day found myself making up a beautiful spiritual story about two young American kids in the jungles of Brazil, and Haji the all-knowing Gandhi-type Guru who raised them in a world of magic. Kenza insisted I tell her that story every morning. Each drive started with a seatbelt CLICK and her pleading/demanding for more “Johnny and Janine.” I found no trouble in making up that day’s story on the spot and Johnny and Janine joined us on our ride to school becoming part of our ritual and growing with us along the way.

Soumaya picked up Kenza every afternoon. Sharing that special time was pure magic for them both. Kenza loved and adored her mother, and together they owned the day! They owned the world.

Kenza, Soumaya, and I traveled all over the world and lived every second together in complete love and happiness. Truly, the world was ours. We traveled with the deepest love for each other and everyone we encountered.  For high school, Kenza attended Wildwood School, a progressive and respected school in West Los Angeles. 

During her high school years, as is, unfortunately, the case for teenagers everywhere, Kenza was exposed to drugs. Kenza had always been so anti-drugs that we were shocked when drugs got ahold of her. Xanax, at first. Kenza followed the well-beaten path towards Opioids, as is sadly so often the case. 

Kenza was as talented an artist as she was an empath and was offered scholarships at two of the country’s most prestigious art schools in Los Angeles and New York. Having spent so much time there as a child, New York had always been Kenza’s favorite city and thus we were certain she’d choose NY over LA. Shockingly three weeks before her departure, Kenza switched to the Art School in Los Angeles. Sadly, negative circumstances and substances had influenced her decision.

Kenza struggled with addiction for years, desperately trying to remain sober. Initially, she was able to maintain sobriety for two years, but as time passed the sober periods became shorter and shorter. Our world became dark. Soumaya and I know Addiction is a disease and we each dedicated all we had to our Love and fight for Kenza’s sobriety.

Kenza never stole from us, lied about her disease, or loved us any less. Sadly, I believe it is the person afflicted with Addiction who is robbed of self-love by the evilness of substance abuse.

Those who know Soumaya and me, know we utilized every resource, went to every extreme to fight for our daughter’s life. No one could have done more or loved Kenza more in those darkest moments. Nor could Kenza have loved us more.

LOVE never dies. KENZA IS LOVE. There is LOVE.

ORIGINAL Musical Recordings & Photo Montage

A Musical Gift from Kenza & Robert