A Gaithersburg, Maryland, teenager has now collected some 15,000 books for local children who have been diagnosed with cancer. She is now looking for more donations to continue her mission.
Emily Bhatnagar, 19, began her organization For Love and Buttercups in July 2021, after her father received a cancer diagnosis.
She decided to dedicate herself to helping children who received similar diagnosis by spreading something she loved so much — reading.
“It was supposed to be really small, but ended up sort of going viral,” said Bhatnagar, who raised more than $1,000 that first month.
People would bring her gently used books, and she would use any tip money that she earned in her parents’ bread shop.
She said she has visited pediatric cancer wards at Children’s National Hospital, MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, the National Institutes of Health, Inova and most recently Holy Cross Hospital.
Some of her favorites books to drop off with the children are the American Girl series or “The Selection” by Kiera Cass.
“The minute they open the sparkly wrapping paper on a book, they’ll just see it and they’ll just gasp. That’s pretty really special,” Bhatnagar said.
She believes that books can offer an escape for many of the kids who are going through the rough diagnosis.
“They have the power to (transport) you into like a whole other world,” she said. “ All these characters, what usually happens is, they go through something, and then they rise above it. And I think that’s super amazing and precious.”
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She also has been recognized for her efforts. She received the President’s Volunteer Service Award and was acknowledged by Lady Gaga’s Born This Way Foundation.
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In the future, Bhatnagar hopes that she can grow the mission across the East Coast.
Bhatnagar said that the best way to donate is to visit her Instagram page and purchase books from her Amazon Wish List.
