“I moved away from Dayton in 1993, but we visit our family in Dayton often,” said Ellis, who currently lives in Maryland. “We were visiting Ohio when I first suspected something was wrong with Grace.”
Life-changing diagnosis
Ellis said she noticed a large lump behind her daughter’s ear and took her to the doctor in September of that year. A few days later, Ellis noticed another lump on her daughter’s thigh and that was when the family was advised to take Grace to a pediatric surgeon. On Oct. 10, Grace was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, a blood cancer that is often characterized by swollen lymph nodes.
“I have no idea where this came from,” Ellis said. “It all moved pretty quickly.”
From October 2011 through April 2014, Grace endured painful cancer treatments to save her life, including chemotherapy and spinal taps. She was forced to leave school and take her lessons at home.
“The first nine months was very difficult on our family,” Ellis said. “At one point Grace was taking over 30 pills a day. She missed out on a lot because she was in so much pain.”
Grace endured side effects from the chemotherapy that included headaches, high fevers, bone pain and nausea. She lost her hair five times and her immune system was compromised.
“I had no idea what cancer was or what it really meant,” Grace said. “It was all so fast and unexpected, and I learned over time that I had to take medicine to get better.”
Developing a spirit of giving
One side effect of the medication was weight gain and Grace could no longer wear her clothes. When she learned about a local family who had lost their home in a fire, she asked her mom if she could donate her clothes to the two young girls in the family.
It occurred to Grace that she could reach out to other sick, foster and homeless kids and help them, so she asked her mom about starting an organization called “We Can Serve.”
The whole idea of “We Can Serve” is to bring happiness to children who especially need it. But the task of a foundation seemed daunting to Ellis, who was naturally focused on helping her daughter survive cancer.
“I was not a believer initially,” Ellis said. “I thought of all the reasons we should not take on such a big task. But Grace persisted and I understood she was serious.”
The first project Grace undertook was a lemonade stand, which she set up in the family’s driveway. In just four hours, Grace and a group of committed friends collected $633 and they knew they could make an impact.
“We took all the money we made and gave it to a foundation at a local hospital,” Grace said. “I asked my mom about a board of directors and we decided to make it all kids.”
The birth of We Cancerve
Today, the We Cancerve Movement, Inc. has a kid board of advisers, ranging in age from 8 to 18, all of whom see problems and think of ways to fix them.
“Kids just look at things differently,” Grace said. “We see hungry kids, and we just figure out how to feed them.”
Now in its fifth year, We Cancerve has garnered the support of thousands of volunteers and as well as donations from companies and individuals. One of the largest projects the organization undertakes annually is the Eggstra Special Easter Basket giveaway. Over the years, We Cancerve has given away more than 700 Easter baskets to sick, foster and homeless children.
“What’s amazing to me is when you have kids helping kids, they get the projects done,” Ellis said. “The kids just get this.”
Grace’s was recognized for her work with a 2016 Nickelodeon HALO Award, which recognizes everyday youth who are Helping And Leading Others (HALO).
In May, Grace and her mom will be returning to Englewood to partner with St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church on the “Beach in a Bucket” project. They will be donating beach buckets stuffed with toys and activities to Dayton Children’s Hospital. Beach in a Bucket was conceived in 2014 while Grace was in the hospital intensive care unit in the middle of an ice storm.
“I was running out of ideas to brighten her spirits,” Ellis said. “She was so sick and so sad. With help of the team at the hospital, I gathered up items and created a beach party for her.”
Grace remains in remission from her cancer today and said she feels like “a pretty normal kid.”
“I know cancer happens and you can’t just forget about it,” Grace said. “I am getting back to normal now and I’m hoping we can reach out to more kids all over the country.”
For more information, log on to www.wecancerve.org
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