A Monmouth County Christmas tree farm is raising awareness of childhood cancer in honor of a local girl.
Natalie Gorsegner has been in remission for four years, but had to battle leukemia.
Beverly and Gary DeFelice of Cedar Hill Farm and Nursery in Middletown heard her story and said that they wanted to do something to help.
“I had followed her and I kept thinking what I can do to help her to just to get through what she's going through,” said Beverly.
The DeFelices decided to let Natalie and her sister Hannah pick out two Christmas trees of their own on the farm. Those trees were decorated and will remain on the farm forever. The trees were decorated in gold, the color for pediatric cancer awareness.
"For me when Beverly presented my girls with those two red ribbons and told them that she was inspired by them and wanted them to pick a forever tree, they went off running,” said the girls’ mother Andrea Verdone Gorsegner. “I just hugged Beverly and I started tearing up because it was just such a special gift for what it represents."
The two trees stand out every year.
"When I drive by or when I’m here, it's such a calming and peaceful thing but it also makes me think of all the children again that have cancer,” Beverley said.
And if there ever does come a time when the trees need to be cut down, the girls said that they already have a plan for them.
“We would get all the roots and put them in the car and plant them in our yard,” Natalie said.
Natalie and her family have a nonprofit organization called Infinite Love for Kids Fighting Cancer to help other families going through the illness.