New Berlin girl turns cancer journey into art helping families
New Berlin girl turns cancer journey into art helping families
New Berlin 9-year-old Taylor Daniels used painting to cope with leukemia, later helping Paintings for Pediatrics raise money for other families facing childhood cancer.
NEW BERLIN, Wis. - When the brush hits the canvas, there is no stopping Taylor Daniels. The 9-year-old gets wrapped up in the creativity of it all and for a short time is focused on what’s in front of her.
What we know:
It wasn’t that long ago that painting was one of the few activities that put her mind at ease.
"I remember getting poked and not liking it that much," Daniels said.
When she was just 4 years old, she wasn’t feeling right. Her fatigue, lack of appetite and leg pain gradually got worse. A doctor’s appointment confirmed the family’s worst fears. She was rushed to the emergency room.
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"Things just progressed really quickly," her mother, Cassie Daniels, said. "They had to stabilize her and give her multiple units of blood, multiple units of platelets. She was admitted to the ICU."
Tests revealed little Taylor had B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Within 24 hours, a port was implanted into her chest. She started chemotherapy the day after that.
What they're saying:
"You go into mom mode," Cassie said. "Survival mode. Anything to help her."
The New Berlin girl spent many of her days in the hospital getting treatment. The diagnosis came during the pandemic and shortly after, her older brother Avery died.
"At the time, I really didn’t know what I was going through," Taylor said. "I didn’t really know what was happening."
The emotional toll wasn’t the only stress on the family. Taylor’s mom stopped working to be with her daughter.
"When you’re faced with a diagnosis," Cassie said. "When your child goes through this, the last thing you want to worry about is finances and payment."
Just when they needed a boost, Craig Sorbo reached out.
"People need support and this is just the gift I’ve been given to help in this way," Sorbo said.
He’s the president and founder of Paintings for Pediatrics. The organization uses art to help kids with cancer.
"How do we help bridge this gap? And that’s our mission to just help financially the families that are having to deal with this," Sorbo said.
Families are given canvasses, paints and brushes. Kids get a chance to step back from their illnesses and create. When they’re done, their works are auctioned off at a gala.
"It’s not just the art, it’s the story that comes with it," Sorbo said.
Seventy percent of the money raised goes toward the families of the children creating the paintings. The other 30 percent goes to research. Half a million dollars was given to families this year.
"It helps you, and it helps others because it helps get your mind off of things, and it helps other people with their things that they do," Taylor said.
Big picture view:
For Taylor, painting was a way to relax in her day-to-day life with childhood cancer.
"I would imagine something on the board," the 9-year-old said. "I would just paint the lines."
In February 2024, three years after her diagnosis, Taylor reached a big milestone. She rang a bell and marked the end of her treatment.
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"We live life to the fullest every day. No regrets," her mom said.
Taylor is now a healthy 9-year-old girl. She sees a doctor every few months and is finally able to do things she wasn’t able to do before.
"We do not take anything for granted in this house. Nothing," Cassie said.
More than 200 families have gotten help from Paintings for Pediatrics. About 20 to 30 paintings are auctioned off at the galas. The next gala is happening in November.
Visit https://paintingsforpediatrics.com/ for more.
The Source: The information in this post was collected and produced by FOX6 News.