Newtown Girl Giving Up Birthday Gifts To Fight Pancreatic Cancer

NEWTOWN, PA — For the last few years, Newtown's Bridget Wittig celebrated her birthday in a big way - by hosting a kickball party to help raise funds for pancreatic cancer research.

This year is a big one - Bridget's going to be a teenager.

And to mark her special day, she'll again be giving back with "Kickin' For A Cause," a kickball-themed fundraiser for A Love For Life, a Newtown-based nonprofit that raises funds for pancreatic cancer research at Penn Medicine.

Bridget will be taking the field on Sunday to help raise money in memory of her PopPop Brian Wittig and her uncle, the Reverend Paul Quinter, and in honor of her Aunt Jacci, who has survived the diagnosis and is still here, able to continue fighting.

"My Pop Pop died of pancreatic cancer before I was born. I'm sad I never met him," said Bridget. "I want to raise money to find cures so other families don't lose loved ones to pancreatic cancer like my family did.

"Instead of getting presents, I'm asking everyone to give money to help find cures for cancer. I'd rather have cures for cancer than more toys or clothes," she said. "It's really important to help others who are sick if you can. I felt really good raising money to help make that happen during my kickball party!"

Bridget’s mom, Danielle, said she's incredibly proud of her daughter "for turning her birthday parties into pancreatic cancer fundraisers. She has always cared about helping others, even from a very young age. Her big heart and selfless spirit have always inspired me.”

She's also an inspiration to Christine Edmonds, who founded A Love for Life in memory of her late husband, Kevin, who died from the disease in 2012. Since founding the organization, Edmonds has worked hard at raising hundreds of thousands of dollars in support of researchers and doctors at Penn Medicine's Abramson Cancer Center in Philadelphia.

“To imagine a 12 year old deciding to give up a lot of fun presents in order to raise money for a charity is mind-boggling," said Edmonds. “Our mission is one I work towards pretty much every day of my life now, but I don’t think I could have made that decision as a child. Bridget is such a bright, smart, sweet girl - we are so lucky to have her and her family on our team. November is Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month so this is a fun start to our efforts.”

To make a donation towards Bridget's fundraising efforts, click here.