Young Ballerina with Leukemia Designs Rose Bowl Parade Float

A young girl from Texas is celebrating a huge honor the whole country will get to see: She has been chosen to design a float in this year's Rose Bowl parade.

Peyton Richardson, a 13-year-old aspiring ballerina and leukemia patient from Sugar Land, has been dancing since she was 3, so when insurance company Northwestern Mutual asked kids to design one, this little dancer knew what it should look like. "Here are all the ballets I want to visit: the Russian ballet, New York City... and they're all on a music box, there's lots of moving parts on it."

When the contest asked about her greatest adventure, Peyton answered them with this: "My greatest adventure is to travel around the world and visit all the greatest ballet companies and meet their principal dancers and take a class with them."

And this is what you'll see floating down the streets of Pasadena next month: a music box, with a rotating ballerina and swans dressed in gold, bringing attention to childhood cancer. Every line and flutter is carefully constructed and inspired by kids battling for life with the grace and dignity of a ballerina.

"The vision of a child, the dream of a child, espescially when they're dealing with a rough spot on their journey, is really, really powerful," said Northwestern Mutual's Jeff Reeter.

Peyton invited hospital staff: her nurses, doctors and friends to sign a vial that will hold the roses that adorn the float and be by her side during the parade.

She's also inviting those at home to join her: "Come and ride along with me and my family on New Year's Day."

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