GREEN, Ohio — Every year around this time, a clothing and blanket drive to help the homeless takes on a special meaning because of an idea that a special kid from Green came up with nine years ago.
In 2016, just before her 11th birthday, Bella Rink decided to organize a warm winter clothing donation drive in lieu of receiving presents for herself.
This led her to join Akron Snow Angels, an organization that helps the homeless and has a mission to "spread the warmth."
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Over the years, Bella has done much of the collecting of warm items ahead of her birthday on Dec. 21.
But that tradition had to be modified three months ago after life threw her a curveball. Shortly after she started her freshman year at Kent State University, she started to feel sick.
She began to experience uncontrollable itching and noticed a knot in her neck, which turned out to be a swollen lymph node.
"In September, I was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma and so I've been going through chemo treatment, lost my hair," Bella said.
The teen's mother, Dawn Rink, who is a receptionist for the city of Green, said the news was a shocking punch to the gut.
"It definitely felt like this is not the karma that she's supposed to be getting, and it does go back to why is it the good people that all the bad things happen to?" Dawn said.
Due to the chemo treatments, Bella was only able to ask for donations online. She wasn't able to do her typical in-person collection efforts ahead of her 19th birthday.
But much to her shock, others did that for her.
City workers donated dozens of coats, shirts, blankets, hats and other items. They also contributed money toward gift cards for Bella's birthday.
On Thursday, the teen's mom brought Bella to city hall, where all of the donations were laid out as a surprise.
When she realized what was happening, Bella put her hand over her mouth and said, "Oh, my God."
"When I saw all the donations, it just means a lot knowing that my city has my back," she said.
Mayor Rocco Yeargin also greeted Bella with a hug and kind words.
"Thank you for being the inspiration. Thank you for what you've done for the community," Yeargin said.
Dawn was brought to tears as the emotional moments played out.
"The support from your co-workers for you kid, there's nothing like that," she said.
Bella said also continues to get a lot of emotional support from family, friends and the community as she continues to fight cancer.
She has had six chemo treatments so far with six more scheduled through the spring.
"I actually had my PET scan and the cancer in undetectable," she said.
Dawn said Bella is expected to be completely cured.
"It's an aggressive treatment plan, but it's like a 95% cure rate. She gonna be done when's she's done," Dawn told News 5.
Erin Victor, founder of Akron Snow Angels, said Bella is their youngest board member, and her dedication has deepened over time as she leads with her heart, compassion and energy.
"Even as she bravely battles cancer, Bella has remained unwavering in her commitment to helping others. Her determination to host her annual event, even in the midst of her personal journey, speaks volume about her resilience and compassion. She consistently prioritizes the homeless and impoverished community she holds so close to her heart," Victor said.
Bella plans to show her compassion in another way in the future as she is studying to become a nurse.
For now, her focus is on her personal healing while continuing to inspire others to help out.
"I have ambitions that I want to have my own nonprofit when I'm older, continue to work with the homeless because it's a group that I really feel strongly for and really care about."
CLICK HERE to learn more about how you can help out the Akron Snow Angels.
