Little Girl Opts To Support Cancer Research Over Getting Birthday Gifts

DELAWARE COUNTY, P.A., (CBS) -- There was a special donation for a cancer center from a little girl in Delaware County. Most kids love to get presents for their birthdays - who says no to a gift? 10-year-old Cassidy Martin was given a thank you gift bag, a token of appreciation from The Delaware County Cancer Center at Delaware County Memorial Hospital.

For her birthday she told her friends instead of gifts, they could make a donation that would go to the cancer center - where her
grandmother had been treated for breast cancer. Cassidy explains: "The hospital needs the money more than I do. I just wanted to give back."

Cassidy is named after her grandmother, Rosemary Cassidy who was a patient at the center for nine years. Her daughter, Christine Martin, who's Cassidy's mom says, "They took phenomenal care of her."

Christine says her mother's final years were good because of the cancer center. Cassidy was only two when her Nana died in 2008, but she remembers. "She was really nice and sweet .. I liked everything about her," Cassidy says.

Instead of birthday presents, Cassidy got $320 from her friends that she donated to the cancer center.

"It's like she's a little angel", says Marie Destefano, the oncology director. She says the money will go to the appearance enhancement center, where breast cancer patients get help with things like wigs. "Any donation no matter how small is big to our cancer center. We're a small center. We treat a lot of patients," says Destefano.

Cassidy says she doesn't know much about cancer, only that the cancer center is the place that made Nana happy. "I think she'd be happy. Because I did a good thing for the hospital," Cassidy says.

She and her family also participate in an annual 5k to benefit the cancer center. Their Team Rosemary, has raised $35,000 over eight years.