Local Teenager Helping Sick Kids who are in the Hospital (WPTV)
October 16, 2015 4:18 pm
When Kayla Abramowitz was 6-years-old, she was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease and Juvenile Arthritis.
Kayla said, “I felt sad that I wasn’t able to do things that other kids were able to do.” She spent a lot of time in the hospital. “I don’t have anybody to play with, I don’t have school work to do, I can’t say hi to my teachers and I was really sad and lonely.”
Her younger brother, Ethan, also got sick. Their lonely days in the hospital inspired Kayla to start “Kayla Cares 4 Kids”– helping kids around the country.
“I noticed there were a lot of DVDs and books and things to entertain while I was there to get my mind off of my sickness, and I realized that the hospitals could use these items. So I gave them two Thomas The Train DVDs and from that it expanded into my whole organization.”
The now 13-year-old collects donated items, then donates them to children’s hospitals. Kayla has been very busy. So far, she has donated 5000 new or used DVDs, 3000 books and 1500 other items. Her mother Andrea Abramowitz said, “People donate arts and crafts, they donate various electronic items, we get Leapsters, Nintendo DVD player, word search.”
Kayla’s mother says the teen is dedicated to the cause. “I’m just incredibly proud of her because she is doing so much and she’s having such a marvelous impact on people.”
But Kayla isn’t done just yet. She told WPTV she has another goal she wants to accomplish. “Getting to 250 children’s hospitals and in 180 Ronald McDonald houses.”
Kayla’s organization has grown so much, that she is looking for donated office space to store the items she has collected.