Terminally ill girl receives 50,000 tear-jerking letters from 'dogs'

Terminally ill girl receives 50,000 tear-jerking letters from 'dogs'
Photo credit: GoFundMe / Team Emma

A young terminally-ill girl's heart-warming wish has captured hearts around the world and spurred on a wave of tear-jerking letters from 'dogs'.

Emma Mertens, a seven-year-old from Wisconsin in the United States, has Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG), a rare form of rare brain cancer.

While Emma and her family don't own a dog, the child often dog-sits and has been comforted by therapy canines during her treatment.

Her love for the animals prompted her family to send out a notice calling for people from around the world to send Emma letters from their dogs.

A copy of the notice posted on the Facebook page 'Dog Like A Weapon' calls for "attention dog parents".

"If you are interested, you can help by sending a letter from you dog," the notice reads, also asking for any photos or videos of the dog.

The #LettersToEmma hashtag soon emerged, and the young girl had been flooded with more than 50,000 photos of dogs from around the world.

"Hi Emma. You're a little cutie pie just like me," one 'dog' wrote to her.

Many people shared stories of their dogs facing challenges, with one 'dog' saying it was alright to be scared.

"I crossed the rainbow bridge a year ago and I now have a very important job of head welcome and tour guide.

"I am here waiting for you and we will have the best time together."

A GoFundMe page has also been set up for Emma.

"She is a fighter, and she and her family along with everyone on Team Emma are here to fight for her," it says.

In one month, the page has raised nearly US$115,000.

Newshub.