This story is a part of Babble’s #7DaysofGoodness series, where we’re gathering feel-good stories to help bring a smile to your day. Find them all here.
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A beautiful 5-year-old named Giselle is showing the world what true kindness and generosity looks like. Also known as “Wondergirl,” Giselle is a cancer survivor with a heart of gold. And while most other kids her age probably can’t wait to tear into their birthday gifts, this sweet child recently decided to donate all of hers to other children with cancer.
According to KTVU, Giselle has been bravely battling pediatric cancer for two years at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital in Stanford, California; but just recently, she finally received her last treatment. Her deep appreciation for the staff at Lucile Packard is what ultimately inspired her to give back — and in the process, she’s been inspiring others all over the world.
Wearing her “Wondergirl” t-shirt (a nickname her family gave her as she fought the disease), Giselle pulled wagons full of birthday gifts she received — as well as toys donated from Target — into the hospital. And as she delivered toys one by one to the kids who are now enduring the same struggles she did, Giselle was nothing but smiles.
According to Giselle’s mother Gabi, the whole idea was Giselle’s. “You know, Mom. These gifts would put a smile on my cancer friends’ faces,” Gabi says her daughter told her; and the idea took off from there.
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Fortunately, San Jose-area Target stores got wind of this gesture too, and added a $1,500 shopping spree to it. Giselle herself was able to fill carts with toys she knew her friends would love, all courtesy of Target’s donation.
Ironically, it was also on her birthday two years ago that Giselle received her cancer diagnosis. After weeks of battling a low-grade fever and fatigue, while suffering bruises that refused to heal, Gabi received the dreaded phone call that changed her life: Her daughter had acute lymphocytic leukemia (A.L.L.), the most common form of childhood cancer. It wasn’t long before Gabi quickly learned the facts: Leukemia is a cancer of the white blood cells that forms in the bone marrow. Leukemia cells multiply quickly, do not die out, and crowd normal, healthy cells. Left untreated, they spread to other parts of the body such as the brain, spinal cord, and vital organs. Giselle had a bone marrow aspiration on her third birthday and began chemotherapy the following day.
But now, two years later — almost to the exact date of receiving such devastating news — Giselle is cancer-free. And her journey has truly come full circle.
The motivation to give back to the children at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital does not stop with Giselle. Her family has also held fundraisers (superhero-themed, of course!) to raise money. So far this year, nearly $5,000 was donated to the hospital as a result of their efforts — specifically to the development of immunotherapy.
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Immunotherapy is said to shorten the treatment span and also attack only cancerous cells, as opposed to chemotherapy, which also kills healthy cells. Chemotherapy may have killed Giselle’s cancer, but it ravaged her body, causing her to need major kidney surgery in the coming months. As her mom tells Gabi’s hope is that immunotherapy will help children with leukemia heal more quickly and with fewer complications.
“I want to raise money for my cancer friends, for medicine that doesn’t hurt,” Giselle shared with the Humans of Packard Children’s website.
Gabi is incredibly grateful to the hospital staff for her daughter’s health. “Because of them, my daughter is here today, two years later,” she told California’s local outlet KTVU. “We no longer take health for granted in our family.”
Gabi says she hopes Giselle inspires others to value their health and to do their part to give back. The family plans to continue their fundraising efforts, as they know how precious the lives of these children are. And we are pretty sure that their sweet bundle of energy Giselle will be along for the ride, pulling her wagon in her Wondergirl shirt and tutu, and spreading joy.
If you would like to donate to the fundraising efforts led by Giselle’s family, you can do so here. And keep your eye out for a video about Giselle’s story to air on Humans of Packard Children’s to air November 29.