HANOVER COUNTY, Va. -- A Hanover County family is determined to help families with sick children get the financial assistance they need, after losing their child to cancer.
Bella Francesca was diagnosed with leukemia when she was in the fifth grade. Just 10 years old at the time, she asked her family to document her journey through treatment on Facebook, hoping to help other families going through their diagnosis journey.
"Imagine being 10 years old with cancer, and going on Facebook and saying, 'Hello world of Facebook, I know you want to give me stuff, but I just want to know how your day is?'" her mother, Chrissy Francesca explained. "She was a connector. She brought people together. She's still bringing people together."
Nearly two years after Bella passed, her memory continues to bring people from across Central Virginia together. A fundraiser once meant for Bella's family called "A Gift for Bella" has now been transformed into a fundraiser for multiple children and teens facing chronic illness.
This year, 12-year-old Ashleigh Stell, who has an autoimmune disease, will be on the receiving end of donations through the fundraiser.
Her father, Marshall Stell, said he and his wife have had to take time off work to take their daughter to the hospital multiple times, while medical bills began stacking up.
"One of her friends growing up nominated her for it, so it was kind of a surprise," Stell said. "It's overwhelming."
In the last two years since the fundraiser's expansion, families have received around $35,000. The money is often used for medical expenses, as well as miscellaneous expenses incurred while receiving treatment.
Francesca said before this year's fundraiser, A Gift for Bella had already raised several thousand dollars.
"These kids need help to know that there's something beyond," Francesca said. "We didn't make it to that, unfortunately, but there is a light on the other side."
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