14-year old Olivia is dying of cancer, and selling homemade bracelets to try to pay for treatment. / WANE
A 14-year-old girl dying of cancer is having to sell bracelets she makes to try to pay for treatment in hopes it'll make her quality of life better.
Olivia Stoy from Indiana is in desperate need of a bone-marrow transplant, but her insurance won't pay the NZ$1.37 million needed tofund the life-changing surgery.
Stoy realises that if she doesn't get a bone marrow transplant by the end of July, she's unlikely to survive lymphoblastic lymphoma.
In good spirits, the hospital has said that if she pays the money up front, they'll only charge the 14-year-old $504,000 for the surgery, wiping out nearly a two-thirds of the price.
livia Stoy (left) and Emily Bryan wearing Lava Liv bracelets. Photo / WANE
With Stoy's time-bombing ticking away, Indiana designer Emily Bryan has offered the 14-year-old the opportunity to design her own bracelet to sell on her website to fundraise her treatment.
Bryan told WANE that she felt a connection to Stoy and had to help fundraise for her before it's too late.
"Olivia is a very special girl," she said.
"She's very sweet, very sensible, very strong. She has always maintained a smile on her face through everything, even when I was at Riley Children's Hospital visiting her after a chemo treatment. It was very fun to see her excitement in designing."
Stoy's bracelets have lava stones, bamboo coral stone, and moonstones as well as a gold band that represents childhood cancer.
Lava Liv Bracelets. Photo / Emily Kai
Stoy told WANE she's confident she'll raise the mammoth funds in time.
"I know that we'll reach it and I'm just so thankful for what everyone's doing. I'm looking forward to just being more active and just getting back to the life that I had."
A GoFundme page has been created for Stoy which has so far raised more than NZD$76,000 while Lava Liv bracelets designed by Stoy can be purchased on Emily Kai website.
