One fall day in 2014, Bailey Moody made a special visit to Children's Healthcare of Atlanta to meet Grace Bunke, who was undergoing treatment for osteosarcoma, a rare bone cancer.
Bailey, 13, also gave Grace, 11, a pink boxing glove penned with a message:
Don’t underestimate what you can really do if you put your mind to it. You are strong and you can make it through.
Grace hung the pink glove on her IV pole. The pink object was a constant source of encouragement.
The girls already shared a lot in common. They were both preteens living only about 15 minutes apart: Grace of east Cobb and Bailey of Johns Creek. They were both very active, having played multiple sports. Grace was a member of her church soccer and school track and cross-country team. Bailey played basketball, volleyball — and was in jump rope club.
And they had both been diagnosed with osteosarcoma after experiencing excruciating pain in their knees. (Bailey had a cancerous tumor in her right leg; Grace in her left leg.)
Bailey first heard about Grace through a friend of a friend. Since their lives crossed paths in the hospital, they have become friends, sharing a special bond as cancer survivors. The two girls get together for Braves games and pool parties, and both attend a “Camp No Limb-itations,” a special summer camp in Georgia for kids with amputations and limb deficiencies.
Now just 12 and 14 years old, they continue to share a passion for playing sports. They are also shining examples of courage and triumph.
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