9-Year-Old Girl Raises $47,000 Making Bracelets To Help Best Friend With Rare Skin Disease

A nine-year-old girl went to great lengths to ensure her friend received the treatments she needed to combat a rare and dangerous skin disease. The family of Anne Marie Cox, the 10-year-old suffering from the debilitating disease, had a series of unsuccessful fundraisers which left them short of the money they needed to purchase the child a therapy pool. Her friend, Bethany Walker, decided to take matters into her own hands after watching her friend battle the painful skin disorder. She offered to make rubber bracelets and sell them in a bid to raise the money Anne needed for her saltwater therapy pool. To the surprise of many, not only did Walker raise enough money for the pool, she did it in just 19 weeks.

ABC reports that Bethany Walker began making small rubber bracelets to raise funds for a saltwater pool for her friend Anne Marie Cox. The 10-year-old Anne suffered from a rare and dangerous skin disorder called epidermolysis bullosa. The disorder causes blisters to appear on the child’s skin with the slightest of pressure or friction. The Cox family had hoped to purchase Anne a saltwater therapy pool for the backyard that would be used to treat blisters and ease the girl’s pain. However, after numerous unsuccessful fundraising attempts, the family still didn’t have the funds they needed. When Bethany offered to sell bracelets, the family was grateful but didn’t expect the bracelets to be such a hit. In just 19 weeks Bethany had raised $47,000, enough to purchase the therapy pool for her best friend.

Anne’s mother, Kandi, says that due to the skin disorder and the dangers associated with it, her daughter is unable to attend public school and must live in a very protected environment. However, thanks to Bethany’s efforts, Anne can now enjoy some outdoor fun with friends in the therapy pool for the first time ever. Prior to having the pool, Anne was unable to swim or spend time with friends as she was unable to go to public pools or other summer activities. With her new saltwater pool, Anne can now play with her friends in an environment that is safe for her skin condition.

“It’s been really neat watching that relationship cultivate with these two little girls who just have a love for one another.”

In addition to having a place to play with friends like Bethany, Anne also uses the pool for relief from severe blisters and to diminish scarring.

Bethany’s efforts did not go unnoticed. In fact, Bethany is a finalist for a national scholarship for community service and has turned her bracelet making into a fundraising powerhouse. After raising the money Anne needed for her therapy pool, Bethany then turned her efforts to others in need. Bracelets by Bethany is now raising funds for various other causes and is still going strong.

What do you think about Bethany’s efforts to raise money for her suffering friend and others in need?

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