Prescribe Joy to Seriously Ill Kids and Teens

Marcella is a courageous young woman who dances circles around her cystic fibrosis—literally. She loves to dance, everything from hip-hop and lyrical to jazz and ballet. Although her disease requires her to take a few extra precautions, she refuses to let it get in the way of her life.

“When something gets challenging, I just look at it as an obstacle to be jumped over. It’s so rewarding when I do,” she explained.

While she was in the hospital undergoing treatment, Marcella enjoyed working with the MyMusicRx team and became quite proficient on the guitar—so much so, that CCA’s Link Program hooked her up with her very own Yamaha acoustic guitar. And when she took up sewing, CCA stepped in again. “I was doing everything by hand,” she said. “So CCA got me a sewing machine! So far I’ve used it to make a few purses and a dress for my sister.”

Besides dance, music and fashion design, Marcella also has a passion for science. “I love all kinds of science, but I’m especially fascinated by how things affect the human body,” she said. “I definitely want to be a scientist someday.”

Marcella’s strength and positivity make her a hero in the eyes of her family, but she says it’s the other way around. “My mom is the real hero,” she said. “She works so hard and has always been there for me.”

• Link, a community network of caring people and organizations that provides wishes and unites local families with essential needs and connections to resources
• The Alexandra Ellis Caring Cabin™, a secluded home along the Pacific Coast nestled in 24 acres of surrounding woods with plentiful wildlife and a serene lake, provides an essential health connection with nature and an extraordinary place for families to relax and create once-in-a-lifetime memories
• Chemo Pal Mentor® Program, an award-winning program that matches children and teens with trained adult mentors
• MyMusicRx®, a one-of-a-kind music medicine program that lets “kids prescribe” the music experience that feels right to them. The in-hospital program, led by MyMusicRx Specialists, includes bedside music and provides access to CCA’s digital music medicine program, MyMusicRx.org, which enables kids to play free music games, explore digital instruments and watch exclusive video song prescriptions from their favorite artists – whenever and wherever, 24/7.

Links:

• Watch the Link program in action
• See more stories about how your donations make a difference
• Check out our website