We Made It: A Family’s Hope Through Childhood Cancer

Program Impact

·Sep 17th, 2026

Five-year-old Pollyanna changes her outfit twenty times a day. She matches everything - hair to jewelry to shoes. Pollyanna loves to sing, especially at church.

Around October 2025, Callie noticed something was off with Pollyanna. She was throwing more fits. Taking naps she didn't usually take. When she got in the water, her lips turned blue. After multiple visits to their small-town doctor, they confirmed that Pollyanna had cancer.

“I just couldn’t comprehend it,” Callie recalls. “It was probably the most traumatic moment I’ve ever had. But we still had a job to do. We needed to take care of her.”

Treatment started, and it came with things Callie hadn't anticipated. They had to travel to a large children's hospital three hours away, sometimes three times a week. Even when at home, Pollyanna's platelet levels dropped so low that the family can't leave or go anywhere that carried risk.

Yet, through it all, Pollyanna has displayed incredible strength.

All she needed was the help of a few special toys.

Pollyanna_Brave Barbie doll cancer — Pollyanna holding her Brave Barbie doll from Starlight.

When Words Fall Short, A Toy Speaks

At her age, Pollyanna doesn't always have the words to express what she's carrying. She shows it instead: outbursts before appointments, anxiety that builds before treatments and moments where she needs time alone.

Sometimes there are things that make it easier to express. For Pollyanna, it was a Brave Barbie doll she got through the Starlight Families Program, which was donated by Mattel. It arrived before Polly's hair had fully fallen out from chemo, while it was just beginning to come loose. For a child who struggles to say what she's feeling, the doll said something she couldn't.

"She connected with it," Callie says. "It was personal to her and her journey. It was something specifically for her."

When Pollyanna lost all her hair in two days, she didn't cry. She just said she hoped it would grow back. Her resilience and strength were inspiring. "I just want to be like her," Callie says. "I wish I could."

Even now, Pollyanna still takes the Barbie to every hospital appointment in her little backpack.

Toys made hard days feel lighter, especially at the hospital.

“Getting toys like this from Starlight brightens up her day. You would think it's just a toy, but for her it's the best part of the day.”
- Callie, Pollyanna's Mom

A Little Guitar and a Dance to Remember

Callie never knew a toy could be so powerful.

In the volatile journey of childhood illness, Callie sometimes just doesn’t know what to do. There are times when she’s not sure if she can make it through this fight.

Callie especially felt that weight during a five-day hospitalization. Her whole family was confined to Pollyanna’s room. At some point, they began to go stir crazy, feeling upset and bored.

Callie’s sister went to the hospital toy box, where she got a figurine with a little guitar.

Callie doesn't entirely know what made her think of Jailhouse Rock. But she did. She started doing the opening riff, found the song on her phone and played it.

And then they were all dancing. The mood shifted, morale went up and happiness filled the room. All thanks to that little toy.

They danced, and they laughed, and they went to sleep, and that was another day.

They made it.

“We were going crazy, but we had a release from dancing. We felt so much better, and it gave me a sense of ‘I can do this’. The toy made a way to get through that day.”
- Callie, Pollyanna's Mom

A Resilience That Lasts

Today, Pollyanna continues to display immense courage and bravery. Though she still travels every week for treatment, Pollyanna still dresses up at home and sings songs, looking forward to the day she can sing at church again.

When you give to Starlight, you give children with cancer resources to keep their morale up. You give them moments to help them express themselves, find a fun song a hard day and dance until they can say, ‘we made it’.