7-Year-Old Leukemia Survivor Creates Care Packages For Others Still Fighting

A seven-year-old who beat Leukemia is doing something good for other Oklahoma kids fighting cancer.

She started a nonprofit with her family called Grace's Guardians. They said they are giving out care packages full of things that helped Grace through her cancer treatments. 

"Be brave, be strong," said seven-year-old Grace Martinez. 

"That is right. Help us be brave. Help us be strong," said Grace's mom, Kristen Martinez. 

That's the prayer little Grace would say when fighting her Leukemia became too scary. She was diagnosed in January of 2018.

"They had this dog at the hospital and her name was Targa and she would always come in there with me," said Grace. 

"She just crawled into bed and laid on your legs and calmed you down," said Kristen. 

Grace finished her treatments in March of 2020 and today, she is healthy and thriving. The focus of her family has now turned to other kids sitting in Oklahoma hospitals, as sick as Grace used to be.

"We stepped back and thought, there is so much love, that Oklahoma spirit is just so big, and we said, I wonder if they would want to help some other families," said Kristen. 

That is how the nonprofit Grace's Guardians was born.

"We live in a tiny town in the Oklahoma panhandle but all of these tiny towns out here, they just all came together, and they took care of us in every possible way. We referred to them as our guardians and that is where Grace's Guardians came from," said Kristen. 

Using community donations, Grace's family buys things that helped Grace through treatments- then they deliver the care packages to kids fighting cancer.

"It has very much been our healing through this," said Kristen. 

"I like doing them because I like to help kids," said Grace. 

Each one is full of things you might not think you will need, like a wagon to help carry exhausted kids back to their rooms after treatments or Glad Press and Seal Wrap to use over a child's port. 

They recently partnered with Tulsa's Saint Francis Hospital. 

"Now we can say every family that is facing pediatric cancer and being treated in Oklahoma will receive a Guardians Care Package," said Kristen. 

Grace's family hopes a care package full of items can help make the darkest days of a family's life a little brighter.

To help support Grace’s Guardians, click here.