Emma Mertens, a seven-year-old Wisconsin girl fighting an incurable brain tumor, has been flooded with letters from dogs as per the child’s request.
Emma is fighting Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG) and was diagnosed in January. She has been undergoing radiation treatment, however the survival rate is very low. Emma is a huge animal lover, and friends and family began mailing and emailing pictures of their dogs to cheer the adorable little girl up despite the incredible challenges she faces. And once the message got out that the photos made Emma happy, tens of thousands of dog pictures flooded in – bringing many smiles to Emma.
“7 year old Emma is fighting a very rare and inoperable brain tumor called DIPG. Last weekend she was having a normal weekend playing with friends, playing in the snow, and wrestling with her brothers. On Sunday though, she got a headache and started having flu like symptoms. 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. She is a fighter and she and her family along with everyone on Team Emma are here to fight for her.”
A GoFundMe page, with an initial goal to raised $50,000 for medical and other expenses, has already exceeded $95,000 with a recent goal of $100,000.
To date, Emma has received more than 50,000 photos of dogs according to her father Geoff Mertens.
“We’re getting about 2,800 emails each hour and mail by the truckload. I think that says a lot about dog lovers, that they want to take care of more than just themselves.”
The family is also signed into the CaringBridge website which gives updates on Emma’s fight. They said both the email box and their post office box were completely full of letters on Wednesday.
“Many pictures of puppies really made her laugh or smile. Thank you to everyone who is trying to put a smile on her face, we appreciate the gesture,” wrote Geoff Mertens.
If you want to send Emma a letter through regular mail, the address is:
Emma Mertens
PO Box 230
Hartland, WI 53029
The email address is [email protected]
Get well soon Emma. Everyone is praying for you and your family.
Follow the National Pet Rescue on Facebook for the latest animal related news.
Our dog will begin sending Emma emails and cards today!
Definitely sending a letter and have shared on Facebook. A friend of my youngest daughter passed away at that age, so this really hits home to me.