A sweet 7-year-old girl suffering from an inoperable tumor touched the hearts of thousands of people after making a plea in which she asked dogs to send her letters.
The Wisconsin-based girl, Emma Mertens, is a huge dog lover and wants nothing more than reading letters from dogs while undergoing tough treatment.
What the young girl didn’t expect, however, is that her plea for dog letters would cause over 50,000 people from all around the world to open their hearts and send her letters from their dogs.
Little Emma was diagnosed with DIPG, Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma, on January 23. According to the DIPG Resource Network, less than 10% of kids diagnosed with the aggressive tumor survive the first two years following the diagnosis.
Prior to the dreadful diagnosis, Emma began experiencing flu-like symptoms such as headache and fever. Her condition, however, quickly deteriorated.
“By Wednesday, she was rushed into surgery to reduce swelling on the brain. She has had a second surgery now and is preparing for 6 weeks of daily radiation therapy,” the family wrote on a GoFundMe page where they are raising funds for her treatment.
“She is a fighter and she and her family along with everyone on Team Emma are here to fight for her.”
Following her diagnosis, the 7-year-old is set to undergo several months of radiation treatments at the Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s Children’s Hospital.
“We’re doing everything we can to beat this thing. We know that we have a very steep road ahead of us. We aren’t going to stop fighting until we can find a cure for this,” Emma’s parents said.
While patiently waiting for her recovery, little Emma, who is a passionate dog lover and dogsitter, finds joy in reading letters addressed to her by pups from around the world.
For over a month, people have been sending the young fighter pictures of their smiling dogs to encourage her to keep on fighting.
“The thing that brings Emma joy is seeing dogs, interacting them,” Emma’s neighbor revealed. “It’s a devastating diagnosis but seeing her smile in present day and seeing those moments has carried the hope for the family.”
According to Tammy, Emma’s mum, the girl is still happily accepting dog letters via email at emmalovesdogs7@gmail.com in case you know of any dog willing to write!
What are your thoughts on this heartbreaking story? Let us know in the comments and don’t forget to SHARE this post with your family and friends!
Recommended Video!
“Little Boy With Cancer Says Sorry To His Mother Before Losing His Battle With Cancer”