The teenager was adopted from a Russian orphanage 13 years ago. "She was sick, starving, her head has been shaved, utilized. She even had to fight for her food there. There was something about her. The sparkle in her eye, the spunky spirit," said her mother Carroll.
Kelsey loves to read, swim and jump on the trampoline - all things she was told she'd never be able to do since being diagnosed with autism and the rare genetic disorder Rubinstein-Taybi syndrome.
Doctors didn't think Kelsey would ever walk or talk, but that hasn't stopped her yet, and now she's sharing her story on defeating the odds.
"Try hard and never give up," she said.
With some help from her mother, Kesley just published her own book, "I Want to Make a Difference." It's about her life and overcoming challenges.
"We all have challenges to overcome and as more and more people face those challenges people in our country are more accepting as I hope they are, that we all belong," said her mother Carroll.
Kelsey wants to inspire other kids, especially anyone living with challenges. She hopes to, "give the kids my book so they can read it."
She's already working on her second book about her dogs and wants to write 20 in total.
Kelsey doesn't just want to write books though. "When I grow up I want to be a police officer and pull my mom over when she goes too fast," she said.
Kelsey's book is sold online at Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Books-A-Million.
