The sum of this little girl’s dreams came down to a flowery Lilly Pulitzer dress.
Eight year old Mary Anderson from Newtown Square, Pennsylvania was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) nearly two years ago. After five rounds of chemotherapy, Mary is in remission, but she still receives maintenance chemotherapy through daily medications and and a monthly IV.
Read MoreALL is a type of cancer in which the bone marrow makes too many of what’s called “immature lymphocytes,” a type of white blood cells. "Acute" means that the leukemia can progress quickly, and if not treated, would probably be fatal within a few months.
Signs of childhood ALL include fever and bruising, and the disease can be detected using tests that examine the blood and bone marrow. Over time, there has been a lot of improvement in treatments for childhood leukemia.
“We understand now that aggressive treatment of childhood leukemia has led to a remarkable change in the way kids do, who have leukemia,” says Dr. Tom Lynch, physician and chief scientific officer of Bristol Meyer Squibb. “Now, if you’re diagnosed with childhood leukemia, you have an outstanding chance of cure.”
Mary Designs “Magical Mary” Lilly Pulitzer Print
Mary told the Make-A-Wish foundation that she also wanted to design headbands and water bottles, and for the proceeds to go to the CHOP hospital where she was treated to support children’s cancer research.
“She was looking forward to it for months ahead of time,” said her mom, Liz Andersen. “During some really challenging times of her treatment it distracted her and was exactly what she needed.”
Mary described being picked up from school in the famous Lilly Pulitzer jeep as one of her favorite parts of the day. She was presented with pink donuts and given a tour before beginning her design process.
Mary in the Lilly Pulitzer studio fulfilling her wish to design her own clothes
“She came to us with a very clear vision and our reaction was ‘Of course, we'd love to be part of this,'” said Michelle Kelly, CEO of Lilly Pulitzer. “She seems to have a great sense of what makes people happy, which is what the Lilly Pulitzer brand is striving to do every day.”
The “Magical Mary” print features Mary’s three favorite colors, pink, blue and purple, daisies because of CHOP’s Daisy Days annual fund raiser, and daffodils, which are the symbol of the American Cancer Society. It also has unicorns because “I just kind of love unicorns,” according to Mary.
Mary’s name and the words “Mary’s Wish by Lilly Pulitzer” are hidden within the design.
Mary and her brothers in a photoshoot. Her dress is a Mary Anderson original.
“I loved it a whole lot and it made me feel good,” Mary said of designing her print.
Lilly Pulitzer fast tracked Mary’s design to be in stores around the country by April 27th, with a portion of the proceeds going to research at CHOP. Her design will be featured on a popover jacket and dress available in kids sizes and a hat. She modeled the print in a photo shoot with her three brothers.
“We work so hard on every print. Normally we'd go through multiple rounds of editing and deciding and making sure it's exactly what our customers want,” said Kelly. “This time it was about what Mary wanted, and I think our customers will be just beyond thrilled.”
Mary’s friends and family, as well as the Lilly Pulitzer team, will attend the launch party.
“We just want to thank everyone for their support,” said Andersen. “So many people have told me they're going to come [Saturday] and just the kind words, and thoughts and prayers for Mary over the past year, we're just overwhelmed by the support.”
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