A North Texas sixth-grader is taking her birthday party to the Race for the Cure.
Polley Poer's mother was diagnosed with breast cancer in October. Since then, Polley has educated herself about the disease, the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation and the upcoming race in Tarrant County.
"When we looked at the date, she said, 'Oh, that's right around my birthday. Instead of having a birthday party, we can just take my friends and do the race,'" said Karen Poer, her mother.
So the birthday invites went out.
"The more people run the race, the more money they raise," Polley said.
Polley isn't just raising money during the Race for the Cure.
She and five friends meet every Friday to create jewelry and accessories, much of it pink, to sell to friends and neighbors. All the money they make will go to the Susan G. Komen Foundation.
"Sometimes I'll be having a really hard day or something, and they would help me through it," Polley said. "I wanted them to help support me through the race, too, because they've been helping me out, and I thought it would be fun for them"
Knowing her daughter has friends to lean on has made her recovery a little bit easier, Karen Poer said.
"It's very comforting to know that she has these friends to support her and talk to her about it," she said. "I'm thrilled."
