A young girl from New York is helping cancer patients with the inspiration of her late grandfather.
After witnessing her grandfather, Terry Enderton, battle pancreatic cancer and undergo chemotherapy, Sophie Enderton decided to start “Sophie’s chemo bags.”
“She saw him kind of struggling and losing his hair and getting tired and just having to sit at chemo,” Sophie’s mom, Jillian Enderton, told “Good Morning America.”
She continued, “I think his chemo was two or three hours long and he was saying how many people were there just sitting around and she wanted to do something to help him and other chemo patients.”
With the help of her family, she was able to bring her vision together.
She started researching care package ideas on Pinterest with her mom, that would be chemo friendly. Her grandparents helped by taking her shopping to buy specific items like pillows, socks, soup bowls, pre-made soups, blankets, and other items. She later would add different games as well.
Additionally, Sophie Enderton’s great-grandmother joined in to help by making homemade blankets to add to the care packages.
As word spread about Sophie Enderton’s new endeavor, more and more people stepped in to help out by giving donations.
Thank you @GMA for the beautiful article on my Sophie girl. https://t.co/VOaI7wfVTW
— Jillian Enderton (@JEnderton) March 3, 2022
“We received a lot of donations from people in the community, family and friends, so she’s able to put a little bit more in there and have more extra money to do it again in December. She wants to do it again at Christmas also,” Jillian Enderton explained.
So far Sophie Enderton has made 10 bags for the cancer patients at the Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center in Buffalo, New York. The first official bag went to the man she adored, her grandfather. She also made five more bags for children battling cancer.
“She wanted to do some for kids because she doesn’t think it’s fair that they have to go be sick so she wanted to brighten their day too,” Jillian Enderton said.
Sophie plans to continue to drop off more bags on her grandfather’s birthday. According to Jillian Enderton, he “passed away in December after a short battle” with “pancreatic cancer.”
“She just loves the time they really spent together. She says he was one of her best friends and he was there for everything,” Jillian Enderton said.
When we help others in need, it blesses us as well. Proverbs 11:25 says, “Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered.”
As Sophie Enderton continues to help others by making more care bags, it has also been a help for her in the grieving process, according to her mother.
“She’s putting her energy into something else so that’s helping her, knowing that she is helping others who are going through the same thing,” Jillian Enderton said.