Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta(ATLANTA) — A 15-month-old girl undergoing chemotherapy in an Atlanta hospital showed her support for the Super Bowl-bound Atlanta Falcons in a custom-made hospital gown featuring the team’s logo.
Ella, an Atlanta native, has been hospitalized for the past two months at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta while being treated for Langerhans cell histiocytosis, a rare disorder in which excess immune system cells build up in the body, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Ella’s mother, Allison, who asked that the family’s last name not be used, said she, her husband and Ella’s grandparents are all longtime Falcons fans. As the team made their way through the playoffs, Ella’s grandmother decided to sew a special hospital gown for Ella to wear on game days.
“The day of their second playoff game she showed up to the hospital with the gown and Ella wore it for the game,” Allison told ABC News. “She thought it was a little masculine for Ella so she put a little lace and ruffle on it and made a headband, too.”
The Falcons will face off against the New England Patriots this Sunday in Super Bowl 51 in Houston. The family has found the team’s Super Bowl run a welcomed distraction during Ella’s hospital stay.
“Ella is typically sleeping when the games are on but we’ve made sure that we’ve been watching them,” Allison said of her family. “It’s something to focus on, a nice distraction.”
Ella was diagnosed with Langerhans cell histiocytosis at 7 months old and is on her third chemotherapy regimen. The disease has infiltrated her gastrointestinal system so she is fed intravenously, according to her mom.
Because she is mostly bed-bound, Ella missed the pep rally that the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta held for the Atlanta Falcons Tuesday.
The hospital welcomed the Falcons’ mascot and cheerleaders and distributed T-shirts and football pillows to the rooms of patients like Ella who could not attend.
“They’ve been spreading the cheer to Ella even in her room,” Allison said.
The hospital has shared support for the Falcons on its Facebook page, sharing a photo of another young fan, Wyatt, in Falcons gear and a video of patients’ doing “The Arthur” dance in honor of Falcons owner Arthur Blank.
Allison said Ella will wear her special Falcons gown on Super Bowl Sunday but, for this game, she’ll be able to wear it in the comfort of her own home. Ella is scheduled to be discharged from the hospital today.
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