Meet Abby

Abby Valentine was born on December 30, 1993. She attended Hazleton Area High School where she met the love of her life, Nick, in marching band. A lover of music and the finer things in life, Abby played piano and trumpet, and had a design eye like no other. Abby desired to help others, and worked at the Pennsylvania Breast Cancer Coalition where she assisted in program planning to help newly diagnosed women with breast cancer.

Abby was diagnosed with an aggressive form of leukemia in 2022 at the age of 28. It devastated her and Nick’s life completely. She courageously underwent multiple rounds of chemotherapy, and two stem cell transplants but ultimately gained her wings in November 2023 due to infectious complications.

Abby was a shining light in this dark world. She was fierce. She radiated love and empathy and cared for people with unmatched compassion. She had a smile that could light up any room. In fact, it was the first thing people commented on when they entered her hospital room and what inspired the name of our nonprofit. She lived by the motto ‘I can do hard things’. Smiles for Abby will continue to help other people smile through the bad and inspire them to know that they can do hard things like Abby.