Young Cancer Patient Shares Generous Spirit with Donation

Libbi, her mom, and the team at Golisano Children's Hospital of Southwest Florida.

At only 20 months old, Libbi was diagnosed with a stage 2 Wilms tumor and is currently fighting cancer at Golisano Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida. Her mom shared that this has been a rollercoaster journey — but her daughter has been so strong every step of the way!

“We are a really fortunate family, and I know there are a lot of other families out there in a very different situation, and we simply want to help other kids in Libbi’s honor,” said Libbi’s mom, Stephanie.

Recently, Libbi, her family, and staff from Primrose Preschool delivered 250 toys, along with a $5,035 check from the families and staff at Primrose Preschool. The school and family wanted to provide toys to help children get through the tough days and their inpatient chemo stays.

The Child Life and HEMONC team joined Libbi to cheer her on for their generous donation. Since the beginning of her treatment, Libbi has developed a close bond with the staff at Golisano, and they have been providing positive distractions.

“The staff is amazing. She loves all her nurses. It’s unbelievable how being 2 years old, how well she adapts to being there and she’s content,” says Stephanie. “When we are there she has fun seeing the child life specialists and enjoys the fun Taylor Hinton and Stephanie Dowzak always bring to any appointment or procedure. She loves Tracey Failla the music therapist and she loves Dorian, the therapy dog. Tracy showed her how to play the ukulele since Libbi has a little guitar and loves music.”

Since her second surgery in October, Libbi has had 20 rounds of radiation fractions just in the month of June and is currently undergoing combination in-patient/outpatient chemotherapy. She has needed 12 blood transfusions and five platelet transfusions to date.

Libbi will continue to need transfusions throughout her remaining chemo cycles, which the family says if everything stays on track will be complete in January 2022.

We wish Libbi and her family the best during her road to recovery. Thank you Libbi for bringing smiles to our patients’ faces today!

You Can Help

Would you like to donate toys to the children at Golisano Children's Hospital of Southwest Florida?

When a child is undergoing treatment at Golisano Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida, our dedicated healthcare team works hard to bring a smile to every child’s face even during their most difficult moments. As the holidays are quickly approaching, we are working to stock our toy room to ensure that every child has the opportunity to receive a present when coming to Golisano.

Donation questions and arrangements can be directed to the Child Life department by contacting Stacie Kmetz at 239-343-6603 or stacie.kmetz@leehealth.org