Girl raises funds for others Story Comments ShareShare Print Create a hardcopy of this page Font Size: Default font size Larger font size Project Love is her Christmas wish Alyssa Willis holds a photograph of her late father, Philip Willis Jr., and a teddy bear made from his T-shirts. In the past three months Alyssa’s father died from cancer and she was diagnosed with leukemia. Despite her rough year, she is using the holidays to give to others. (Anna Harvey photo) . Posted: Friday, November 29, 2013 12:00 pm ANNA HARVEY | 0 comments BEAUFORT — The Christmas wish list of 10-year-old Alyssa Willis is unlike that of her peers. Instead of toys and electronics, she wants to raise $1,800 to split among the Crystal Coast Hospice House, Snug Harbor on Nelson Bay, and an animal shelter. Her wish, known as “Project Love,” is a selfless act in itself. The fact that she lost her father to cancer and was personally diagnosed with leukemia in the past three months makes it even more special. “All the hard things that I’ve been going through for the past couple of years, everyone has been so supportive and loving, and I’ve just wanted to give back,” she said. As she spoke, she held tight to a blue patchwork teddy bear that was specially made for her from her father’s old shirts. Project Love will honor her late father, and 60 percent of the raised money will go to the Crystal Coast Hospice House where he was staying when he passed away. Another 20 percent will go to Snug Harbor, located in Sea Level, because she said a lot of her family members Down East and her church family from Otway Christian Church go there. Finally, she will donate 20 percent to an animal shelter in honor of her love for animals. Alyssa’s father, Philip Willis Jr., died Sept. 23 from Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, after battling the disease for over two years. Mr. Willis retired as a chief petty officer after 20 years in the Coast Guard, and his wife said a number of his comrades came to his funeral to honor him. On Nov. 12 Alyssa was diagnosed with leukemia, thrusting her mother, Angel, back into caretaker role just weeks after losing her husband. “I was a caregiver for him, back to being a mom, then right straight back to being a caregiver again,” Ms. Willis said at her home Tuesday afternoon. About a week before her leukemia diagnosis Alyssa’s aunt, Stephanie Hancock, asked her what she would like for Christmas this year. When Ms. Hancock heard Alyssa’s idea, she said she was stunned. “I was like, ‘what?’ ” said Ms. Hancock. “I couldn’t believe it at first.” Together, Alyssa and Ms. Hancock have raised $1,200 toward the $1,800 goal, according to Alyssa’s Christmas Wish – Project Love on the fundraising site YouCaring. Alyssa originally said she had hoped that 36 people would donate $50 to the cause. Although her numbers are specific, her reason behind the amounts is not. “It just popped into my head,” she said. She is hopeful she can raise well above her goal, and said if she raises enough money, she may add a fourth charity to her giving list. She did say she wants the Crystal Coast Hospice House to receive the majority of the money, because she is so grateful of the care they gave her father in his final days. “That’s where they sent my daddy when things started to get really rough. It’s a really great place,” she said. She continued to praise the hospice house staff, and said she wants to donate the money to make “that great place even better.” Alyssa said she is excited to see how much money she can raise for the three organizations. “I’ve been wanting to do something like this for a while, I just didn’t know where to start,” she said. “Since Christmas is coming and it’s been a hard year, I just started telling people I wanted to do something.” Although she has had the hardest year of her young life, and faces another two and a half years of chemotherapy at Vidant’s Children Hospital in Greenville, it is easy to see Alyssa’s optimism. She candidly discussed the two weeks she recently spent in the hospital and the years of chemotherapy facing her. She will soon have a port that will be used in the chemo process, but said she is excited to get rid of the tubes that currently feed into her arm. “It is really tricky to change clothes and sometimes it pulls at my skin,” she said as she pointed to the lines dangling beneath the sleeve of her Winnie-the-Pooh T-shirt. She is currently in a month-long induction period, then will have three to six months of aggressive chemotherapy, followed by two additional years of “low maintenance” therapy. Her mother said the doctors believe she will be completely in remission and cancer-free with the treatments. Alyssa said she has already lost some of her red hair, but the doctor told her to expect more to fall out. The idea doesn’t seem to frighten her, and she said she already has a collection of cute hats she can wear. Her aunt and mother say her attitude amazes them. “I haven’t heard her ask for one thing for herself,” said Ms. Hancock. “Me either,” said her mother. “Well, except to be healthy again.” While Alyssa’s Christmas wish may seem like a hefty project for a young girl, it seems to only be the beginning. “I want to be the president one day, because I believe I can make a big difference in the world,” she said. Contact Anna Harvey at 252-726-7081, ext. 227; email anna@thenewstimes; or follow on Twitter @annaccnt. . . .
Posted on: Fri, 29 Nov 2013 19:23:50 +0000
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