Giovanna Nocera was just 3 years old when her mother was treated for leukemia at City of Hope in 2003. As she watched her mom slowly regain her health, the little girl felt a need to support her, as well as express her gratitude to City of Hope staff.

Because she loved working with crafts, she made a bracelet with the word H-O-P-E spelled out in beads, and gave it to Stephen J. Forman, M.D., Francis and Kathleen McNamara Distinguished Chair in Hematology and Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation and chair of the Division of Hematology & Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation at City of Hope.

After making the bracelet, she felt inspired to make more, which she sold at her preschool to help raise money for City of Hope. In a matter of weeks, she raised nearly $135. After learning about her project, Forman encouraged her to continue.

“Dr. Forman asked us to sell HOPE bracelets at last year’s “Celebration of Life” Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation Reunion,” said Concetta Nocera, Giovanna’s mother. “Through that effort, we were able to give him a check for $320. My daughter and I are hoping to do even better at the 2008 gathering, where we will sell them again.”

The mother-and-daughter fundraising team also plans to offer the bracelets at the National Cancer Survivors Day gathering, scheduled to be held on June 1 on campus. To purchase a HOPE bracelet, please send an e-mail to Concetta Nocera at Concetta@nocera.cc with “HOPE beads” in the title of the message.