Cancer doesn’t discriminate. It doesn’t care what color your skin is, what gender you are, or even what age. Children of every age get diagnosed with cancer, and it is one of the saddest things there is. Children should never have to know their mortality like that.

In hopes of connecting children dealing with cancer, two photographers, Lora Scantling and Christy Goodger, put out an open call in 2014 on Facebook for photos. Scantlins stepdad was battling lung cancer at the time and she wanted to do something that had an impact.

She launched a project called “Little Heroes” and has photographed dozens of childhood cancer fighters and survivors. One of the first photos she took has stood out among the rest. It is a photo of three little girls from Oklahoma.

The girls are all dressed alike, and in their first shoot together, they were all bald. The girls are hugging each other and went viral almost immediately. “They walked in, and the second they saw each other they were like, ‘Hey, you don’t have any hair either. You’re going through what I’m going through.’ Everyone was quiet at first, but after a few minutes they were sharing stories from the hospital.”

The little girl in the center, Rheann Franklin, was six-years-old at the first photo shoot. She suffered from a rare form of brain cancer. The one on the right is five-year-old Ainsley Peters and was battling leukemia. Rylie Hughey is on the left and was only three-years-old at the time. She was fighting kidney cancer.

Scantlin says the girls immediately bonded, and so each year she got the girls together again to take an updated photo. This year, a little boy was added after being diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. His name is Connor Lloyd.

“If I had to sum up Lora’s photos in one word, it would be hope,” said Rylie’s mother. “Strength comes in numbers, and I hope that another family in the middle of a battle with cancer can look at the photo and be inspired.”

What a heartwarming story. No kid should have to go through this. Be sure to say a prayer for these children and share this story with your family and friends to remind them to pray too.