8-year-old holds fundraiser to help offset her mom’s cancer treatment expenses

Zoe Bell is having a craft and jewelry sale to raise funds for her mother’s cancer treatment Friday and Saturday, April 29, 2022, Bloomington, Utah | Photo by Stephanie DeGraw, St. George News

ST. GEORGE — An 8-year-old Bloomington girl is having a craft and jewelry sale to help offset expenses for her mother’s cancer treatment. The event started Friday evening and continues 9-11 a.m. Saturday at 2677 Kolob Drive.

A Go-Fund-Me has been set up for Emily Joy Bell who is battling breast cancer, unspecified date and location | Photo provided by David Miller, St. George News

Zoe Bell came up with the idea to support her mother. She hand-made some of the jewelry for sale and other pieces were donated. Emily Joy Bell has Stage 4 metastatic breast cancer. Money raised will help her receive special in-patient stem cell treatment in Mexico. A video on Emily’s Facebook page shows some of the jewelry available for sale.

Her husband Colby will accompany her for the treatment that their health insurance will not cover. On Sunday, a high school friend will fly the couple to Mexico.

They will leave their three young children with their grandparents, Larry and Louise Bell, who are driving down from Kaysville, Utah. The family also hopes to sell their converted bus, known as a Skoolie, this weekend.  The family has traveled all over the United States and has a YouTube channel

“Emily has battled cancer for the last about three years. It’s been pretty stable for the most part until about six months ago, where it started spreading to her bones,” Colby Bell said. “In the last two months, she can’t walk anymore, and she needs some serious and big care to bring her back to health. And we feel like this is the best option, which is to go on to this clinic. It’s called New Hope in Mexico.”

Over the past three years, out-of-pocket medical expenses for Emily have exceeded $100,000.

Colby Bell works on his converted bus he is selling to raise funds for stem cell treatment for his wife Emily who has breast cancer, Bloomington, Utah, April 29, 2022 | Photo by Stephanie DeGraw, St. George News

Colby Bell said their families and neighbors in Bloomington have been “super helpful.” People have donated items to help with the event. But he has had to quit work and be a full-time caregiver to his wife. So the family needs to sell their bus to help raise funds. 

“So part of the issue is insurance doesn’t cover clinics like this and so it’s just all out of pocket,” Colby Bell said. “So we are selling our bus to cover living expenses and medical stuff. Then when she doesn’t require as much help from me, I can start working again.”

Emily’s father and mother, David and Mary Miller, said their daughter has a powerful will to live and a deep faith.

“Emily recently had seven days of radiation treatment and has the faith, will and desire to live and raise her children,” David Miller said.

A Go-Fund-Me account is set up to help the family with medical expenses. As of Friday night, over $25,000 had been donated.

Emily’s brother stated on the website, “She’s one of the kindest and biggest hearted souls you’ll encounter. Her family is full of such sweet souls who are fighters. I cannot convey in words how much your love and willingness mean to Emily, to her husband and kiddos, to my family, to friends and me. A lot of tears of gratitude are shed from generous souls such as yourself.”

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2022, all rights reserved.

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