Emma Mertens is a 7 year-old girl who was tragically diagnosed with a very rare terminal brain tumor back in January. After receiving this diagnosis, Emma asked if people would send her letters from dogs to help lift her spirits during her treatment. Since then, she has received more dog letters than she ever could have imagined!

It all started when Emma began experiencing headaches and flu-like symptoms. It was only when she went to Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin that her family was told that she had an inoperable brain tumor called Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG).

“We were greeted by an enormous team of experts and a CT scan showed the tumor was blocking flow of her spinal fluid causing it to pool at the top of her brain,” her mother Tammy recalled. “She had some swelling as well. She was rushed to the OR to put in a drain.”

Since her diagnosis, Emma has had several surgeries and is currently in the midst of a six week run of daily radiation therapy to treat the tumor. Through it all, Emma has maintained a positive attitude, drawing strength from her love of dogs. Emma enjoys getting visits from therapy dogs and canines belonging to family and friends.

When the Wisconsin Humane Society heard how much Emma loves dogs, they took to Facebook to ask people to send her letters from the dogs. The post quickly went viral, and since then, Emma has received letters from almost every U.S. state and countries like The Netherlands, England, Australia, Venezuela, Italy and Germany.

“Emma’s email inbox was completely full (2500) and so was her P.O. Box,” Emma’s father Geoff said. “Many pictures of puppies really made her laugh or smile. Thank you to everyone who is trying to put a smile on her face, we appreciate the gesture.”

If you would like to send a letter to Emma, you can do so here:

Emma Mertens

P.O. Box 230

Hartland, WI 53029

Email: [email protected]

Please keep this amazing little girl in your thoughts and prayers!