New Jersey girl sews colorful hospital gowns for kids fighting cancer

Giuliana Demma has found a way to make life a little easier for children battling cancer.
The 11-year-old from Freehold, New Jersey, sews colorful hospital gowns for kids, replacing the dull gowns they would otherwise have to wear. "It makes me happy to help a child through their dark times," Giuliana told NJ.com. "I hope that they feel that they're brave. I want them to know that they're brave, loved, and that they're an inspiration."
Since she started making the gowns last year, Giuliana has donated more than 150 of them to hospitals and individual patients, some as far away as California. She loves to pick out bright patterns, and has made gowns covered with everything from butterflies to Toy Story characters.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Giuliana calls her project G's Giving Gowns, and started a website so she can take requests from cancer patients and hospitals. The idea to launch G's Giving Gowns came after Giuliana learned how to sew at a fashion camp. Five years ago, her cousin Giada was fighting medulloblastoma and received a special hospital gown with Disney characters on it, and Giuliana decided she wanted to use her new sewing skills to bring joy to kids like Giada.
As much as she enjoys creating these gowns, Giuliana told NJ.com she doesn't see herself as a future fashion designer. "I want to be a scientist," she said. "Maybe research cancer treatments."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, Stallone
Speed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's view
Speed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talk
Speed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'
Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposes
speed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wife
speed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play
-
Giant schnauzer wins top prize at Westminster show
Speed Read Monty won best in show at the 149th Westminster Kennel Club dog show
-
Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar take top Grammys
Speed Read Beyoncé took home album of the year for 'Cowboy Carter' and Kendrick Lamar's diss track 'Not Like Us' won five awards