Emily Bhatnagar has come up with a way to give children who are fighting cancer some hope.
She told “Good Morning America” that her father was diagnosed with stage four thyroid cancer and “his chances of surviving were minimal.”
Although her father lost 75% of his vocal cords and “cannot talk very clearly,” his surgery was a success and he is now cancer-free.
Through this challenging situation, Emily Bhatnagar was inspired to donate books to children fighting cancer at Georgetown University Hospital, the same hospital where her father was treated for cancer.
“It’s always been really special to me just because, you know, they were able to save my dad,” she shared.
Emily also shared how she used books as a “distraction” during that difficult time and that the happy endings became her “source of hope.”
“I am like in love with reading. They always brought me comfort during hard times,” she said.
She added, “I assumed that if I can help, like, a little kid who’s undergoing cancer treatment books can help them feel a little better, I’m going to do it.”
So Emily Bhatnagar decided to start a book drive.
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She said it was an “overnight idea” and started asking for book donations.
As the donations came pouring in, Emily Bhatnagar said that she and her brother “would spend our summer just driving from house to house, picking up boxes of books people had.”
Christine Anninos, an education specialist at Georgetown University Hospital, told “Good Morning America” that they read to their patients every day and that it gives the children “a sense of normalcy” and a “connection to home.”
God encourages us to be cheerful givers according to 2 Corinthians 9:7, and Emily Bhatnagar said that she continues to see herself doing this “forever and ever,” adding she is eager to finish school so she can do it more full time.
She calls it the “favorite part” of her day.