3-year-old with Stage 4 cancer showered with more than 1,000 birthday cards

Three-year-old Grace Lynn Whited from Tuolumne County, California, received a big birthday wish, according to KOVR-TV: more than 1,000 birthday cards from those touched by her serious medical diagnosis.

What's the background?

Last week, the station reported on Grace and her grave condition for the first time. Since then, her family has been inundated with over 1,000 birthday cards.

Doctors diagnosed Grace with Stage 4 Neuroblastoma about three weeks ago after her family noticed that something was not quite right with their daughter.

"She just wasn’t herself," Grace's mother, Jessica, said. "She didn’t want to walk, she said her legs hurt, her bruises wouldn’t go away."

After several doctor's visits and tests, physicians delivered the frightening news: Grace was suffering from cancer. Grace began chemotherapy treatment, and according to her family, was responding well to the treatment.

"She’s a champ," Jessica told KOVR. "Some things are rough, they’re really hard, and she gets scared and cries, but most things she goes with it and is really strong."

When asked what she wanted for her 4th birthday next month, Grace said she wanted a pink horse.

"She loves opening cards and us reading to her and just likes hearing from people," Jessica said, and provided the station with a mailing address to those who felt moved to send birthday cards.

Grace turns 4 on July 26. Cards can be mailed to:

Grace Lynn Whited

P.O Box 2164

Columbia, CA 95310

What's happening now?

A week after KOVR ran their initial story, the Whited family reportedly received more than 1,000 cards for Grace's upcoming birthday.

KOVR caught up with Jessica, who said, "It’s crazy how many love my little girl, and they don’t even know her."

A smiling Grace told the station, "We got a lot of cards."

Jessica added, "I did not imagine it would be this much, they even had to put a key in the [P.O. Box] so I would go into another locker because there was not enough room."

Also, a California woman who was touched by Grace's story is working on fulfilling the birthday girl's wish of a pink horse.

Brenna Auld, a Yuba City resident, said that she plans to paint her own horse pink and loan it to the girl for her birthday.

"I hope being able to have a pink horse, will give her even more reason to fight," Auld said.

The family started a GoFundMe page to cover expenses related to Grace's treatment and has launched a Facebook page to update on the young girl's progress.

At this time, the GoFundMe page has received more than $24,000 dollars in donations.