EAGLE, Idaho — Mabel Nagel is 9 years old and she is in the 4th grade at Innovate Academy in Eagle. This past summer, she was diagnosed with cancer. Her mom said she has been an inspiration since the day she was diagnosed.
"Mabel is a one-of-a-kind kid. I can definitely learn a lot from her, we all can." said Mabel's mom, Gloria Nagel.
Over the summer, Mabel was in McCall with her family for the 4th of July, when something just wasn't right.
"She had developed this kind of lump on her jaw," Gloria said. "I knew I needed to get her in to be seen."
Her mom said she wasn't prepared for what doctors would find.
"They were able to do a CT scan, and they found a mass on her jaw on both sides, and they sent us right away to St Luke's Children's Hospital in Boise," said Gloria. "She has lymphoblastic lymphoma, and so the mass that was on one jaw is on the other, as well as in her sinus cavity, and on her ribs, all over her bones and in many places. It was shocking."
The news was devastating. Mabel has been in intense treatment ever since to attack the cancer in her tiny body. It has not been easy, but Mabel said she stays positive.
"Each round looks a little different, but she is going four days this week, and four days next week. She's as tough as they come," Gloria said. "She usually has a smile on her face, and her very favorite place to be is at school, which is amazing for a 9-year-old. So, she says this is her happy place. When we go and get chemo and get to come back to school that's a pretty great day."
Mabel goes to Innovate Academy in Eagle. Her mom actually started the school. Mabel's school friends said they are so proud of her. Many of them have gone to school with her since preschool.
They miss her so much when she's gone. That's why they have Matilda, a stuffed monkey that is now a part of their classroom.
"When Mabel is gone getting her treatment, we have a little monkey who sits in her chair," said Remi Dwyer, a classmate of Mabel's. "We take the monkey to our special classes and everywhere we go."
That way, Mabel is always with them.
Mabel wanted to start a coin drive at her school to help kids battling cancer at St. Luke's Children's Hospital. She decorated a little tissue box and brought it to school to collect coins. The money started pouring in. The school named the drive is called Coins for Cancer.
"She just has a really giving heart," Gloria said. "One way that she feels good about everything, is she'll bring snacks and pack these snack bags for the kids at chemo and when she sees them get one she lights up, she thinks it's the coolest thing that someone else got to be happy. What's amazing is that's one of the pillars at school, service and community. When you are thinking of others and you are serving others, you come second to that."
Mabel's 4th grade classmates are certainly proving that to be true.
"These kids took the idea and ran with it, and brought all this money in. They also decided they were her support squad, so we made t-shirts, and raised money selling the shirts, and everyone kept giving and giving," said Mabel's 4th grade teacher, Sarah Palkowetz. "Here we are 6500 dollars later."
Mabel wants to use that money to buy new fuzzy socks, warm blankets, and toys and crafts for the kids at the hospital. She said that $6,500 dollars will go a long way. Mabel's mom was simply overwhelmed by all the support.
"I'm not surprised at all, I'm just very touched, and I know my kiddo has some of the best people around her," she said. "I'm so proud to be a part of a community that gives and has such a big heart."
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