We first introduced you to Sadie Keller two years ago. The then, 8-year-old used her battle with leukemia to educate others about the disease and led donation drives for local hospitals.
Now a few months after being declared cancer free, Sadie Keller is back at Childrens’ Medical Center Dallas.
She’s not here for treatment, but instead, to support someone else in their cancer fight.
“There’s not a lot of smiling going on when you get cancer so I just really like to give them gifts to make them smile and I like to see them smile,” said Keller.
This time it is 5-year-old Hadley Davis who needs a lift.
Diagnosed with Stage 4 pediatric liver cancer at two years old, Hadley has endured three years of surgeries, radiation and relapses.
“She’s not use to coming to the hospital and not getting hurt. This is pain for her. Today it was joy,” said mother Lindsay Davis.
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Sadie surprised Hadley with a dollhouse, art activity books and some of her favorite dolls.
“Anything that’s going to make her happy or smile, she needs that,” said Davis.
Delivering smiles and distractions is the goal of The Sadie Keller Foundation.
To take the focus off her own cancer battle, Sadie started connecting with kids nationwide and launched her own non-profit.
She's now raising money for gifts to mark milestones in other children's cancer fight.
“I feel like it’s very overwhelming with all the stuff that I’ve been through but I just try to make bad situations into good situations. Doing this keeps my mind off those things,” said Keller.
To date she’s personally delivered or mailed 180 milestone gifts to pediatric patients nationwide.
That’s 180 smiles, distractions and reminders they are not in this fight alone.
“I just want to reach as many kids as I can and make them happy.”
In addition to launching year-round efforts through her non-profit, Sadie will continue her annual holiday toy drive. This year she has a goal of collecting 10,000 toys for four local hospitals.
In September, Sadie traveled to Washington D.C. where she pushed lawmakers for more pediatric childhood funding.
To learn more about her foundation, www.sadiekellerfoundation.org.
