10-Year-Old Cancer Patient Crowned 'Wonder Girl' By Town

Move over, Bat Kid*, there’s a new cancer-slaying pint sized hero in town— 10 year old Monika Romo, aka Vallejo, California’s “Wonder Girl.” (*Actually, don’t move over, Bat Kid, because there’s always room for More Adorable in this empty soul wasteland we call The Internet.)

A Vallejo group decided earlier this year to do something nice for a child with cancer, as a sort of community service, Karma bank, feel-good-hoedown kinda thing. But it turns out that there was actually only one child with cancer in Vallejo — Monika Romo, who had found out in April that she had leukemia. The group initially reached out to Romo’s family, offering to give her a princess-themed party (because girls love princess swag) only to discover that Romo’s hero was actually a little more badass than the standard singing waif getting her hair braided by birds. Here’s more on how the Wonder Girl plan unfolded:

To trick Monika they told her she needed to write an essay for a contest about how a superhero could save Vallejo, a city that has struggled financially and against crime.

She read the essay to her school, proving that she really is a hero.

“Cancer is an evil villain attacking my body,” said Monika. “It is similar in Vallejo, when Vallejo-ans are afraid to live their normal life. I choose to have a smile on my face.”

This morning at 8:30 am, Monika was greeted by a cheering crowd outside of her door, before being “whisked” (always “whisked”!) away to City Hall, and then to her school, where her classmates had all dressed as their favorite super heroes. But Monika’s path diverged from Bat Kid’s here. Because she wants to be a teacher when she grows up, Monika spent the day talking to kids in area schools about defeating the “villain within.”