WAXHAW — New Town Elementary School fourth-grader Gracie Sage is known as the most popular kid at the school; some students call her their superhero.
Part of it is because of Gracie’s ability to share her joy with others by giving during her treatments at Levine Children’s Hospital in Charlotte. She also maintained good grades while sharing her positive spirit with other cancer patients.
Gracie’s battle lasted seven months. After ringing her chemotherapy treatment bell in December, she rang another bell on Jan. 30 to end her long rollercoaster with undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma. A lump in her chest that was found in June 2022 began her fight with her family and friends supporting her.
According to mayoclinic.org, “Undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma (UPS) is a rare type of cancer that begins mostly in the soft tissues of the body.”
She provided patients gift cards with money and bracelets and shirts with the hashtag #AmazingGrace at Levine Children’s Hospital. Proceeds went to the Isabella Santos Foundation. She also gave one patient a $500 gift card during Thanksgiving week with a note of encouragement.
Gracie said she gives back to others “because they gave so much to me and helped me in my journey.”
Most cancer patients usually lose hair, but Gracie wanted to shave her entire head as a sign of bravery. According to a Facebook post from her mother, Jenny Sage, “she decided she wanted control.”
During Red Ribbon Week, students wore pink shirts to honor Gracie. In the same week, she received a pair of gifts from Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s Project Rock x Black Adam Training collection while also finding out her first cancer scan was clear.
Gracie and her twin brother, Jackson, had a surprise limousine escort to school on the morning of Feb. 8 to commemorate their 10th birthday. When she arrived at school, her class greeted her in the front with cheers and smiles on their faces.
“I was very surprised (and excited),” Gracie said of the special moment.
New Town principal Elizabeth Allen said Gracie is “always happy” and a “very positive” student with strength.
“It’s not easy to have a challenge, and whenever that happens to people, you have to overcome and to still do it with the same (vibrant) attitude she has,” Allen said. “This is not going to stop her from being a role model, from being positive, from being engaged with her friends and doing whatever it is that she wants to do. I know she is going to continue to set the example of being a leader.”
The Sage family will continue to give back to cancer foundations as Gracie gets her strength and endurance back. They learned how to support research for other cancers during her journey.
Gracie’s life is back to normal in school and at home with her family. She will continue to have scans every three months to make sure cancer does not come back.
When Gracie is not in school, she likes to ride her bike to the park, play soccer with her friends, and spend time with family. She likes to paint pictures when she is at school.
Jenny looks forward to seeing Gracie inspire others with her testimony.
“Watching (Gracie’s) growth and being comfortable telling her story (is amazing) because not everyone does it,” Jenny said. “It’s not easy to do that, but she talks so openly and positively about her journey, and I think that’s the importance.”
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