'Wonder Girl' Cancer Patient Taking Page From Batkid To Battle Villains In Vallejo
VALLEJO (CBS SF) - A young Vallejo cancer patient is taking a page from the wildly famous "Batkid" to crusade for safer streets in her community.
Volunteers are putting together a "Wonder Girl" superhero adventure Thursday for the 10-year-old Monika Romo, who wrote an essay about her concern over how to make Vallejo safer, according to the Vallejo Times Herald.
While Monika's cancer is in remission, she is still undergoing chemotherapy, according to her mother Allejandra Romo.
"She said Wonder Woman is the perfect superhero to compare me with because we're both fighting for a cause," Allejandra Romo told KPIX 5.
On Thursday morning, Monika will be escorted around town to a series of public appearances, according to Vallejo Together, a support group helping pull off the event. Monika is scheduled to read the essay at City Hall and several schools in the district.
"Somebody who has these struggles that she's going through currently…what a messenger. We're just very excited to hear what she has to say," said Superintendent Ramona Bishop of the Vallejo City Unified School District.
The group said it had originally planned for a Disney princess-themed day but her mother said she cared less for Disney and cared more for Wonder Woman, so the change was made.
While Wonder Girl has already earned a dream trip through the Make-A-Wish Foundation, the Vallejo Together group wanted to do its own event as well for their local cancer patient.
"It's girl-power…and it's arresting evil," Maria Guevara of Vallejo Together told KPIX 5.
The group is urging people attending the even to dress up as their favorite superhero.
"I'm sure there's a fear about her illness or some sort. But she continues to live and fight it. And I think that's a message for Vallejoans, that no matter what happens, we're in it together and not to live fearful, not to be hopeless but hopeful," Guevara said.
Miles Scott, a Siskiyou County 5-year-old cancer patient, had his Make-A-Wish dream of being Batman for a day turn into a San Francisco citywide and social media phenomenon.
The group's spokeswoman told the Times Herald the Vallejo event would be low-budget and paid for mostly by donations. She said they did not initially set out to copy the Batkid experience but are borrowing the idea after the girl expressed interest in Wonder Woman.
"I feel like she represents hope. Not just in any community, but in any human spirit," Guevara told the Times Herald. "It's a coming together thing."
(TM and © Copyright 2013 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2013 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
