10-year-old Norfolk girl creates coping boxes for kids

When Elizabeth Huddle of Norfolk, Virginia, was 9 years old, her mom was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer. “I didn’t know if my mom was gonna die,” she said.

Getting that kind of news about a loved one is tough on an adult and can be even more difficult for a child to process. Elizabeth has a younger brother who was five at the time. Their mother, Kathryn Hughes, was completely shocked when she found out in October of 2023 that she had cancer. She was only forty and very healthy and active, with no family history or elevated risk factors for breast cancer.

Unfortunately, breast cancer has become all too common. According to the American Cancer Society, one in eight women will develop breast cancer and more and more of those women are under the age of 50.

Within a month of diagnosis, Kathryn began chemotherapy, followed by surgery, radiation, and a year of targeted therapy at Sentara Brock Cancer Center.

The Hughs-Huddle family rallied around her as did the community. Kathryn received donations of items to help her cope during this time of uncertainty and fear. Elizabeth began to wonder: What about the kids of parents with cancer? How do they manage?

That sparked her beautiful idea to create kids coping boxes. She began to think about the sorts of things that helped her and her little brother cope, like large coloring books, journals, soothing stress balls, and fun games. No two boxes are the same, but they all do include a kid-friendly book titled, “What Happens When Someone I Love Has Cancer,” and a handwritten note from Elizabeth, who said, “I want other kids to know they are not alone.”

Elizabeth Huddle with coping boxes at the Sentara Brock Cancer Center. 

The boxes are already making a difference.

“Thank you for the package you got me,” wrote 8-year-old Zavion in a message to Elizabeth. “I like my fidget spinners a lot. I pray for your mom. My mom is getting treatment too.”

Her kind and compassionate gesture brought Elizabeth the Girl Scout Bronze Star Award and a News 3 Everyday Hero Award.

“She is an old soul,” said her mom, Kathyrn and “this experience has demonstrated her empathy. I’m so incredibly proud of her.”