Merritt Andrews a friend from my Disney Feature Animation days has started a campaign to help lift the spirit of a beautiful 4 year old girl named Brooke. She is the daughter of Merritt’s friends Amy and Rob from her hometown of Salisbury, MD. On January 4th Brooke was diagnosed with Stage 4 Neuroblastoma, a type of cancer that occurs in infants and young children. The town has rallied around this young girl and raised thousands of dollars with fundraisers and events to help with the medical bills that keep rising as Brooke goes through countless treatments in Philadelphia. There has been much media coverage of her in Salisbury, she was even given a key to the city. From video I have seen she is a spunky little girl who is bravely facing the future. Her mother in an act of solidarity shaved her own head to match her daughters. Today Brooke is going into surgery to have an adrenal gland and tumor removed.
Merritt is getting photos of all the characters holding a sign that says “We Love You Brooke“. I went with Merritt on a scorching hot Sunday and sketched her as she waited in endless lines to get the photos for Brooke. Merritt is wearing the blue hat in the sketch. One photographer, named Ed, recognized Merritt and asked her how Brooke was doing. This photographer had taken the photo of Mickey Mouse holding the sign and said he is praying for Brooke every day. Should you want to learn more about Brooke, or if you want to help in some way, visit her Caring Bridge home page. In an e-mail Amy wrote “The pictures always make Brooke so happy!”
