North Texas

Girl On a Mission to Save Others With Blood Disease

A North Texas girl is on a big mission to find a cure for a rare blood disease. She's not just trying to save her own life but also the lives of other children.

Hallie Bernard is often the center of attention and sure can captivate an audience.

"What do you call a bear with no teeth?" she asks. "A gummy bear!"

The 9-year-old is a pint-sized junior officer with the Fort Worth Police Department on a mission to help save lives.

"I know that God is up there. He's always watching over me, and I know that it is fate. This is what I was supposed to do," Hallie said.

She is living with Diamond-Blackfan anemia.

"Less than 800 people have it," Hallie said.

The disease reduces the number of red blood cells a person's body produces, and finding a cure is Hallie's ultimate goal.

"It makes me feel like I'm really doing something good for the world," she said.

Hallie's Heroes was created to inspire people to become bone marrow donors. They swab cheeks at events across North Texas.

"I save lives everyday. Like, we just found out my dad's a match for somebody," Hallie said.

She has seen the results, even though she's still waiting for hers.

"One day I'm just going to come downstairs, and my mom's going to take me in a room and tell me we found your match," she said.

She's a courageous kid who sure knows how to make people smile.

"I'm still waiting for chief to issue me a Taser," she joked.

Contact Us