Minnesota girl with terminal cancer honored by 'Cupcake Wars' idols
A little Minnesota girl with terminal cancer was given the opportunity to make cupcakes with her idols from the show Cupcake Wars at their store a few weeks ago. But heartbreaking news broke Monday, and now the young girl's favorite Food Network stars want to help the girl who touched them.
"Today we received the news that Anya is dying," Abby Jimenez with Nadia Cakes said on their Facebook page yesterday. "She has just a few days to live."
A few weeks ago, the owners gave Anya a private tour, spent several hours frosting cupcakes with her, and talking with her.
"We fell in love with her," Jimenez said. "It was a very emotional day for us, seeing this beautiful child who has been through so much. I cried the whole way home that day."
Anya Devol was diagnosed with Ewings Sarcoma, a rare bone cancer that attacks young children, in April of 2012.
"She has endured so much, 25 rounds of Chemotherapy, hip removal and donor graft replacement, relearning how to walk, being casted six times in six weeks to fix a drop foot, countless pokes and prods, scans and endless hospital stays," her GoFundMe site says.
Anya was declared "NED" (No Evidence of Disease) in May 2013, but relapsed this past July. This time, the disease has infected her right lung.
"She and her family have fought long and hard to beat this disease including 24 rounds of radiation therapy, and more rounds of chemotherapy, but the medical practitioners have come to the end of their treatments and her little body is no longer responding to any treatment."
Anya is now currently under Hospice care and is not expected to last much longer.
After hearing the news, Nadia Cakes in Minnesota's Maple Grove and Woodbury locations decided to sell a special "Anya" cupcake this Wednesday, with 100 percent of the sales of that cupcake going to her family.
"Anya was told about the fundraiser yesterday and according to her mom she smiled and said ‘That's so cool!'" the Nadia Cakes Facebook page said. "She also successfully guessed that the red vanilla bean cupcake would be frosted in her favorite Nadia Cakes whip cream frosting."
They'll also have a donation jar set up and will be collecting any messages or cards to be given to her and the family.
"Anya has made a huge impact on all of us at Nadia Cakes and we want her to know it," Jimenez said yesterday. "Erin and I have been in tears all day. She's such a great kid and the day we spent with her will never be forgotten."
If you can't make it out to one of the stores, you can also donate to Anya's Memorial Fund here.