9-Year-Old Cancer Survivor Gives Back With Bracelet Business
WYCKOFF, NJ (CBSNewYork) -- Great strides have been made in the battle against childhood cancer, and one 9-year-old girl is using her experience as a survivor to help other kids.
When CBS2's Steve Overmyer asked Rebecca Salmins how she feels about being in remission, she replied "amazing!"
She's out of the woods and raising money to help others still dealing with cancer with her line of unique bracelets called Knots & Arrows.
"Knots -- when you reach the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on. Arrows -- when life is pulling you back, it just means it's going to launch you into something great," Becca explained.
For the past three years, the Salmins family has endured a lot and it's still healing.
"We spent a lot of time here, and there are some kids that are in a lot worse situations than we are. And she understands that," her father, Gerhard, said. "We walk out of there at the end of the day, and a lot of other kids don't."
Becca and her father are both cancer survivors and both huge New York Giants fans. Eli Manning's involvement in Tackle Kids' Cancer allowed her to not only meet her hero, but also befriend him.
"I was very happy when I first met him because he's my favorite player on the Giants," she said. "He's been working with Tackle Kids' Cancer for a while, so when I got to meet him, it was pretty exciting."
That meeting started her on her mission of giving back. She's made five different collections of bracelets.
"They're made of swimsuit material and there's never been a bracelet made of that," she said.
"Most parents say, 'I'm done with cancer, my child survived, I want nothing to do with it, let's move on with our lives.' It's always been a pleasure and maybe a coping mechanism to make a difference, and we have that opportunity," her mother, Sherry, said.
Becca had another check-up Friday and is now cancer-free for three straight months.
