FORT COLLINS - A fourth grader from Fort Collins is on a mission: to help her classmate beat cancer.
Taylor Goit, 9, makes 50 bracelets a day to raise money for her classmate, Sara Robinson. Sara, 9, was born with epilepsy. But in May, during a routine MRI, doctors found an inoperable tumor behind her left eye. She immediately started cycles of chemotherapy.
"Once I found out she had cancer, I wanted to help," Taylor said. "I felt really bad for her."
Taylor says she's made around 500 bracelets to help Sara and her family. Taylor sells them around her neighborhood, at Denver Broncos tailgates and to friends and family. She has already raised $300.
"We have random people that I don't know decide to give me money to buy bracelets so I can donate to Sara," Taylor said.
Sara's family was overjoyed when they found out Taylor was making the bracelets.
"We didn't even know Taylor was doing this," Jay Robinson, Sara's dad, said. "We were totally shocked. It's overwhelming and heartwarming."
Sara's parents say their daughter keeps the positive energy flowing during her chemotherapy. They credit her upbeat attitude to her strong will and her friends.
"The fact that her school, her friends, have started making bracelets and having parties for her is amazing," her doctor Jean Levy, a pediatric oncologist that specializes in brain tumors at Children's Hospital, said. "People don't give elementary school friends enough credit. You hear your friends are sick, and you want to do something, and the fact that her friends are coming around her is amazing."
Since Sara is not always in school, Taylor holds down the fort, keeping Sara's presence alive in Ms. Wolfe's class.
When asked how long she intends to keep making the bracelets, Taylor said: "For a while. Until she has enough money to cure the cancer."
The bracelets sell for a donation price, so any contribution is appreciated. For more information on Sara's condition and how to help, visit http://www.gofundme.com/ehu91g.
This week, along with our partners at the TODAY show, we're airing weeklong series on kids in our community that do extraordinary things for other people. If you know an extraordinary kid please send us their story and a picture to mornings@9news.com. Or, you can upload it on the Your Take section of our website and use the hashtag #9KindKids.
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