Ready for School: Grace’s Starlight Story

Community Stories

·Aug 11th, 2025

When Grace was nine, her world turned upside down. After weeks of unexplained pain, loss of appetite, and medical tests, she was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Her first year of treatment felt endless - marked by long hospital stays, separation, and uncertainty. Because of strict infection control policies, Grace's dad wasn't even allowed in the hospital during her first hospitalization - he spent his nights sleeping in the family car in the parking lot to stay close.

Grace_Back to school_backpack donations near me

Disrupted From Her Daily Rhythm

Between appointments, procedures, and recovery, Grace missed more and more school, time with friends, and her usual rhythm of childhood. A natural social butterfly, Grace struggled with the isolation of hospitalization. FaceTiming with friends helped a little, but it didn’t replace the joy of being in the classroom, laughing in person or sharing hugs and smiles with friends.

Keeping up with school was challenging, but incredibly important. During treatment, Grace had a teacher who visited her in the hospital four hours a week to support her learning and another visiting teacher who worked with her while homebound. With their support, Grace could stay engaged with her schoolwork and not fall behind.

Ready for School with a Backpack

As her return to school approached, her parents were navigating how to keep her safe with concerns about uniforms, masks, medication schedules, and what it meant to send an immunocompromised child back to school.

School supplies were the last thing on their minds. But thanks to generous community support, she received a donated backpack from Starlight with everything she needed to start the year off right - notebooks, pencils and more.