Cashmere student spreads joy with Happy Letters, book drive for cancer patients

CASHMERE – Cashmere Middle School student Paelyn Lueondee, 11, wants to bring joy and smiles to local people facing cancer.

Paelyn is teaming up with Happy Letters founder Traci Pierson to collect Happy Letters for cancer patients in March and April. The duo has a goal of collecting 1,000 letters.

Local schools and businesses are helping make Happy Letters. 

"We are also planning a Book Drive," Pierson said. "We are collecting new and gently used books for birth to 12 years old and writing journals for teens." 

Books and Happy Letters, along with fun writing supplies, will be included in Happy Letter Book Packets. These book packets will be donated to Seattle Children's Hospital and Seattle Children's Wenatchee Clinic. 

Happy Letters is a local nonprofit organization focused on spreading happiness and kindness to those who need it most.

Happy Letters provides a template for children to draw a picture about what makes them happy and can include a message for the recipient. Through Happy Letters, children are able to use their talents and creativity to spread happiness and let people know that someone cares about them.

Paelyn knows firsthand what it is like to receive a Happy Letter when you need encouragement. She has a blood disorder called Thalassemia, which requires her to get blood transfusions every three weeks. Pierson has been bringing Happy Letters to Paelyn when she receives treatment.

"Oh, just like joy that somebody made this to make me smile, to make anybody smile," Paelyn said about how she feels when she gets a Happy Letter.

Paelyn also finds happiness in making Happy Letters for others.

"I'm just really happy that somebody's going to get it and smile, you know," she said.

Paelyn and Pierson met at school when Paelyn's class was making Happy Letters for others.

"I met Paelyn last year when Vale school was making Happy Letters," Pierson said. "Paelyn told me about her blood disorder and how she has a blood transfusion every three weeks." 

"I was thinking "What a positive girl, always smiling and happy."," Pierson said. "I started giving her Happy Letter packets on the day she had to go to the hospital for her transfusions."

Paelyn then invited Pierson to visit her at the hospital on her transfusion days.

"On one of my visits, Paelyn asked me if we could start making Happy Letters for kids at Seattle Children's Hospital," Pierson said. "I was really touched by this. Here is a girl who has been fighting her illness since she was a baby, and as she is hooked up to her IV, she is asking me if we can make Happy Letters for other kids. Of course I said yes." 

Thalassemia is a blood disorder in which the body does not make enough protein hemoglobin. Hemoglobin enables red blood cells to carry oxygen throughout the body. Some of the side effects are anemia and fatigue.

Paelyn's mom, Alysa Lueondee, said that Paelyn was diagnosed at birth. Doctors watched her hemoglobin levels until she was four, when they started to drop. 

Since she was four years old, Paelyn has been getting blood transfusions every three to four weeks. Paelyn also has to take a medication that helps take the iron out of her blood. Her body does not make enough iron, but when she gets a transfusion, it has too much iron, which can cause organ issues, Alysa said.

In 2023, gene therapy was FDA approved for treating Thalassemia. The treatment involves taking her own blood stem cells and altering them in the lab. 

"And then the lab alters her own cells and changes them to be making the right kind of hemoglobin and then they put those back in her body," Alysa said. 

"So we're really excited about that because actually since she was born, and we found out that she had Thalassemia, it's been in trials, so it was just recently FDA approved," she said. "So it's something that we've been like hoping for and watching out for her whole life."

Paelyn is now in the beginning stages of the treatment. She will spend three to four weeks at Seattle Children's Hospital. After the initial stage, Paelyn will return home while her cells are altered in the lab, which takes about three to four months.  

When they are ready, Paelyn will return to the hospital.

"She'll stay for four months then," Alysa said. "So it'll be six weeks inpatient including the chemo and then the transplant and then they watch, keep a close eye on her for about a month to watch out for anything and then she has to stay three months at Ronald McDonald post transplant."

"When Paelyn goes to Seattle Children's Hospital for her Gene Transplant, she plans to take a supply of blank Happy Letters to make for the nurses and doctors who will be caring for her while she is there," Pierson said. "This was Paelyn's idea!"

The Happy Letters that are collected this month and next will be shared with local organizations that provide services for people with cancer, like The Wellness Place, Our House, and Confluence Health Oncology Dept. 

"I was introduced to Rueben Mayes, Philanthropy Officer for Seattle Children's Hospital," Pierson said. "Rueben introduced me to the awesome staff at Seattle Children's Wenatchee Clinic. We are excited to share Happy Letter Book Packets with them."  

"Paelyn will also take Happy Letter Book Packets to share with kids when she goes back to Seattle Children's Hospital for her gene transplant," she said.

Drop-off locations for the book drive in Cashmere are Weeds Cafe, Cashmere Library, and That Pizza Place. Locations in Wenatchee are Simply Unique and NCW Foundation.

If your school or organization would like to make Happy Letters contact Traci Pierson at makehappyletters@gmail.com.

Happy Letters is a 501c3. and is accepting donations to help with the expense of Happy Letter Packets. Donations can be made at makehappyletters.org. 

Quinn Propst: 509-731-3590 or quinn@ward.media.

Publisher's note: This story has been revised since it was originally posted. We incorrectly stated, "Vale Elementary School 5th grader Paelyn Lueondee, 11, wants to bring joy and smiles to local people facing cancer. " Paelyn is a student at Cashmere Middle School.