Georgia teen goes to hospital for stomach pain, finds out she has rare cancer

FLOYD COUNTY, Ga. — A 16-year-old girl in Rome is in the toughest fight of her life and her community is right behind her, ready to cheer her on.

Jewell Sweat is a junior at Model High School and participates in cheerleading at her school and Hot Shots Cheerleading Gym’s All-Star squad.

According to her mother June Dingler, the teen went to Floyd Medical Center when she felt stomach pains on Feb. 9. The hospital sent Sweat to a children’s hospital in Chattanooga for more extensive tests.

That’s when Sweat received the heartbreaking news. Doctors diagnosed the 16-year-old with Stage 3-4 carcinoma of the stomach, which they said is rare in children.

Sweat is set to begin her chemotherapy Wednesday.

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Fighting cancer is something that no one should have to go through alone. The cheer community and a local nonprofit are making sure Sweat and her family won’t have to.

Mission IS Possible stepped in to help. The local nonprofit organization, run by Grant and Rachel Magness who own Hot Shots, set up a “#4Jewell” fundraiser to help the family.

“We cannot fight the cancer for Jewell, but we can make sure we do all in our power to relieve as much stress as possible so Jewell is best prepared to win this battle," the couple said.

The initial goal was set at $15,000. But the donations have blown past that.

“Between June’s Facebook campaign and direct donations to the #4Jewell page on our website, www.missionispossible.net, it looks like we are at roughly $44,265 in donations to date,” Grant Magness told Channel 2. “That’s less than $800 shy of tripling our original goal of $15,000 in only four days.”

Jewell’s family warned against fake fundraisers that have been going around. Here are the ways you can donate

• Official Facebook fundraiser below
• An online account on Mission ISPossible’s website
• Donation by check to Mission IsPossible Foundation, Inc. 901 N. Broad St. Suite 100 Rome, Ga 30161. Include #4Jewell in the memo line

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