Olivia Enderle was diagnosed with stage 4 neuroblastoma when she was just 13 months old - one of every parent's worst nightmares come true. But now at eight-years-old, Olivia is a survivor.
"She was life flighted from Sparrow to U of M and spent 282 days at U of M, she did 8 rounds of chemo," said her mother, Emily Enderle. She lost both kidneys to cancer. Despite the grim odds, Olivia and her family persisted. Her aunt donated one of her kidneys to Olivian in the summer of 2016. And Olivia's 8th birthday, March 26, would be yet another milestone to be celebrated by the family.
Emily Enderle reached out to social media, asking for the gift of birthday cards. They hoped to get 100. But the internet decided to give them a surprise, instead.
Hundreds of cards and packages started arriving from all over the world - some from even as far away as Japan and Italy. So far, over 6,000 pieces of mail have shown up for Olivia.
And more keep showing up every day.
Funny, homemade, or heartfelt, Olivia is loving the birthday cards. Her mom says they make her feel special. People magazine says that "some cards even include greetings to her brother, so he doesn’t feel left out."
Stories like this are incredible, because it reminds us how very little it costs us to be able to make someone's day better and bring a little light into the dark. For just the cost of a card and a few minutes of our time, we can make a little girl's birthday a memory she'll be able to treasure for the rest of her life.
Her birthday's not too far past for a belated birthday wish! If you want to mail Olivia your own card, send it along to:
Olivia Enderle
133 E. Oak Street
Ovid, MI 48866
USA
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