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Hartford, CT (WFSB) — “Go gold!” It’s the message a 15-year-old Avon girl is trying to spread.
High school freshman Morgan Platt is raising awareness for pediatric cancer, as September is Pediatric Cancer Awareness Month.
“I have great family and friends who support me and help me through this,” Platt said, adding that she has many friends who were diagnosed and passed away from cancer. “I just lost a friend the other day and we were very close.”
At 7 years old, Platt got the terrible news that she had a brain tumor.
Now, at 15 years old in just 10 days, she’s been fighting cancer ever since.
“I had a different brain tumor and it changed my life because I still take chemo every day,” Platt said.
So, in honor of this month, she wrote to the Empire State Building in New York City, asking if they’ll light up the tower gold for just one day.
However, they said no to her in a letter she received last month.
“On Aug. 1, I got a letter back from them saying I was declined and they will not light it up for pediatric cancer which really hurt me,” Platt said.
The Empire State Building lights up their tower for different causes and holidays, like red, white, and blue in honor of Labor Day, rainbow in honor of gay pride, pink in honor of breast cancer awareness, and red for Valentine’s Day.
By filling out a form, you can make a lighting request on the Empire State Building’s website.
It does say “the Empire State Building is under no obligation to provide specific feedback to any individual or organization regarding the status, merit and/or denial of its application.”
Platt said she hopes they’ll change their mind, as it means so much not just to her but to the little kids battling such a tough disease.
“There are so many kids getting diagnosed every day and we only have 4 percent of the funding and I see they’re doing it for different things and they can’t do it for pediatric cancer,” Platt said.
Channel 3 has reached out to the Empire State Building a few times by phone and by email but hasn’t heard back.
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