Francesca “Frankie” Grieco-Routh is a kind and caring 13-year-old who loves making art, reading, listening to music, and cheering on her two younger sisters, Emmersan and Augustine. She’s also a leukemia survivor celebrating 10 years of being minimal residual disease (MRD) negative—meaning no cancer cells can be detected in her blood.

“Frankie is so full of life, and her personality is most like Buddy from the movie Elf. She’s full of joy and laughter and wants everyone around her to be happy and comforted,” shared her mother, Giselle. “She loves painting, spending time with family, and being with her service dog, Luna. She’s our warrior.”

This year, the Grieco-Routh family will attend Swim Across America – Tampa Bay on May 10, supported by Emmersan’s team, Team BEST. Emmersan, or Emmie, is an 11-year-old competitive swimmer with St. Petersburg Aquatics and will be a rookie swimmer at this year’s event. She will be joined by friends and teammates to honor her sister Frankie.

“Whatever we do, we do it as a family, and we go all in,” said Giselle. “So when Coach Brackin met Emmie and heard our family’s story, she graciously offered to have their team fundraise in Frankie’s honor. Emmie is excited to swim, and doing it for her sister makes it even more special.”

Giselle and her husband, Ryan, moved Frankie, Emmie, and Augustine (August) from Southern California to St. Petersburg, Florida, to be closer to family and ensure Frankie could continue her long-term maintenance care at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital (JHACH). Swim Across America – Tampa Bay raises funds for immunotherapy research at JHACH and has contributed over $2 million to its beneficiaries since 2012.

“The support we’ve received since moving to St. Petersburg has been incredible—not just from the swimming community, but from the amazing team at JHACH. The care Frankie has received there is unmatched,” said Giselle.

Frankie was just three years old when she was diagnosed with leukemia. After months of unexplained illness and several misdiagnoses, Giselle pushed doctors to order a complete series of tests. That’s when they received the devastating news no family wants to hear.

“The doctor called me and told me to get Frankie to the hospital immediately. Her white blood cell count was extremely high and her body was shutting down. She was rushed into treatment and spent two weeks in the hospital, receiving intense chemotherapy daily and undergoing countless procedures, including weekly spinal taps,” said Giselle.

At the time, Giselle and Ryan had Frankie, 10-month old Emmie, and just found out she was pregnant with their third daughter. 

“To say it was overwhelming would be an understatement!” joked Giselle. 

Despite everything, Frankie amazed everyone with her strength. Because her immune system was severely compromised, she couldn’t leave her hospital room, but that didn’t stop her from keeping herself entertained with art and movies.

“She would even make art out of her food—stacking bagels and spreading jelly on trays! She was so strong despite being in so much pain,” Giselle shared.

Frankie’s strength extended beyond her own battle—she found ways to comfort other families fighting similar struggles. Even if she couldn’t leave her room, she still sent love and support from afar.

“Every time we heard another family having a tough time—a child crying or a mother sobbing through a broken heart—we’d send them love through our ‘magic fingers,’” Giselle said, as she and Frankie wiggled their fingers in the air.

As Emmie takes on open water swimming with her team, Frankie, Giselle, Ryan, and August will be on the beach cheering her on. No matter the challenge, they face it together.

“Whether it’s swimming, gymnastics, or leukemia, we are each other’s biggest cheerleaders and support system. Seeing our daughters support each other through thick and thin makes us incredibly proud.”

If you are inspired to support Frankie, Emmie and Team BEST, give here.