Pa. man provides 'Grammy's Gifts' to women treated for cancer honoring the memory of his late wife

DELAWARE COUNTY, Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- Leo Botta's life changed when his wife, Patricia "Tricia" Botta received a diagnosis of triple negative breast cancer.

While she was in chemotherapy, she was blessed to have friends and family by her side providing her with moral and physical support.

However, she saw her fellow treatment patients coming in without basic amenities such as blankets in the room, or a hat to cover their bare heads in the cold winter.

This could be for various reasons, such as lack of a support group in their lives, or the cost of living with the disease now limiting their spending money to afford convenient items.

Tricia had hoped to help others once she was finished with treatment; but, she passed away in 2018. Leo Botta decided to keep her goal alive and started Grammy's Gifts.

"I think if she had survived she would have been doing this along with me," said Leo Botta, founder of Grammy's Gifts.

The name derives from the nickname given to Tricia from her grandkids and great grandkids who called her "grammy."

With Grammy's Gifts, Botta delivers to hospitals his gift bags filled with small pick-me-ups to brighten the day of women undergoing their cancer treatment.

The bags include snacks, chapstick, mints, and items related to their situation such as eyebrow tattoos, and crocheted hats made by Tricia's old friends.

The goal is simple, just to give the patient a smile and something to improve their day during their treatment.

"Cancer can be devastating physically, treatment days are usually pretty rough. This gives them a little bit of happiness...while they're sitting in the chemo chair," said Botta.

They have delivered over 600 bags to various hospitals that have cancer treatment patients.

One of those patients being to Yvonne Gordon at Alliance Cancer Center within Lankenau Hospital of Main Line Health.

"It's people who don't know you, but they care enough about you to give you something, and it doesn't matter how small or how big. It's just the thought from a stranger that makes a world of difference. I know it does for me, and I'm sure it will for other people," said Gordon.

Botta plans to continue the mission and carry on his wife's legacy through Grammy's Gifts.

"I think it's a great way to remember her legacy, because that's the way she was, she was a very giving person," said Botta.

For more information, check out their website.