A Wisconsin girl fighting an inoperable tumor loves dogs so much, she asked for dogs across the globe to write her letters to comfort her as she undergoes treatment.
But seven-year-old Emma Mertens never expected to be inundated with over 50,000 letters from canines hailing from as far as Scotland and Venezuela - and the notes just keep on coming.
Emma was diagnosed with Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma or DIPA on January 23.
DIPA is a highly aggressive brain tumor near the brainstem that primarily affects children. Most diagnoses occur between the age of five and seven.
According to DIPG Resource Network, fewer than 10 percent of children survive for two years following the heartbreaking diagnosis.
Seven-year-old Emma Mertens was diagnosed with Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma, a rare brain tumor near the brain stem, on January 23
Following her diagnosis she asked for pet owners to send her letters from their dogs. To her surprise she's received over 50,000 letters from dogs across the globe
Emma's family has shared these pictures, showing the massive amount of letters she's received from kind pet owners across the globe
At first Emma experienced headaches and flu-like systems.
'By Wednesday, she was rushed into surgery to reduce swelling on the brain. She has had a second surgery now and is preparing for 6 weeks of daily radiation therapy,' a GoFundMe page raising money for the young girl's medical expenses says.
'She is a fighter and she and her family along with everyone on Team Emma are here to fight for her,' the page adds.
After going to the doctor and receiving the shock diagnosis, she's now undergoing six months of radiation treatments at the Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
'We're doing everything we can to beat this thing. We know that we have a very steep road ahead of us. We aren't going to stop fighting until we
