SAN ANTONIO — In the middle of a fight with cancer, a young girl lost both of her parents just months apart. Non-profit Campaign One at a Time, stepped in so she wouldn’t have to feel alone.
When she heard the crack in her grandmother’s voice. 5-year-old Emerie Servantes stood up and ran across the room to hug her.
“I know, I won’t cry, okay,” said her Grandmother, Linda Servantes.
Linda said Emerie often tends to the needs of others first.
"When my son passed away, I was crying and everything and she comes to me with a tissue and she cleans my tears and she says grandma don't cry, everything's gonna be okay," she said.
Linda has been taking care of Emerie since the girl’s father, Johnny Servantes, died of a heart attack during a procedure for his pancreatic cancer. He died just a few months after they lost her mother, Jessica Brill.
"March 27th, 2022. Jessica got killed by a drunk driver,” Linda said. “I heard that he was coming 90 miles an hour."
In December, Emerie finished her last round of Leukemia treatments, A recent bright spot for the family. Johnny had arranged a celebration for her before he passed, but Linda said without him there, things started to fall through.
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"I don't have money for this, and these people are now not doing this or that, that was on his list of who was doing what,” she said. “And 'oh, no.' Nick said, you're having that party."
"Nick" was a representative for campaign one at a time, an organization that works to ensure kids dealing with a major illness don't have to feel alone. Emerie's father had reached out to them after her mother was killed.
"You know, they sent us $3,000 so she could have a beautiful Christmas," Linda said. "Get our Christmas tree. She picked out all the ornaments. Everything."
The campaign is still working to raise $50,000 dollars to help the family cover hospital bills as well as send Emerie on a vacation to Kalahari Resort in Round Rock later in the month.
“She’s all excited cause, all her cousins are going. My son, daughter-in-law and the kids. And then I think my daughter’s gonna go too, and my grandson and her fiancé,” Linda said. “So, it’s going to be nice that it’s all of us.”