Young girl uses birthday money to help sick children

There aren't too many five-year-old girls who ask for donations in lieu of gifts for their birthdays.

Sudbury's Isabella Perry has done just that to support her friend Keir Gauld.

Gauld was diagnosed with a rare brain condition called acute disseminated encephalomyelitis.

His family created a charity called Keir's Cause to support families and children with complex medical conditions in Sudbury.

With her mom's help, Perry used the money from her birthday donations to host a tie-blanket party where they made around 40 tie-blankets for other children in need at Health Sciences North's pediatric unit.

“We are so proud of Isabella and love seeing how contagious her giving spirit has been over the years. For the past five years, Isabella has collected donations in lieu of gifts for her birthday and we are always grateful to our friends and family for their support and encouragement,” said Rebecca Thibodeau-Perry, Isabelle’s mother, in a release.

“We often take a lot of things in life for granted and we hope that out of all of this, Isabella learns that she can make a difference in the lives of others no matter how small (or big) the contribution is.”

Lisa Grace, clinical manager of Health Sciences North's pediatrics unit, extended her thanks to the Perry family for their donation.

“This was a wonderful donation that put smiles on our faces and will put smiles on the faces of kids on the unit,” she said in a release. “Thank you again Isabella and Keir for coming to visit us on the pediatric unit.”