Heroic mom makes superhero capes for terminally ill kids

A heroic mom is helping kids fight illnesses by giving them a boost of superhero strength.

Robyn Rosenberger, 28, from Seattle, has handcrafted more than 1,700 capes for TinySuperheroes with severe illnesses or disabilities across America.

"Our mission is to empower these kids to feel as extraordinary as we see they are," Rosenberger told the Seattle Times.

"I want the world to know we think of kids with illness as different. Truth is, they are extraordinary because they overcome things we can’t imagine and they do it with a smile," Rosenberger told ABC News. "These capes are more than fabric. A cape is a visible sign of strength that everyone can recognize. It lets kids and their family know how extraordinary they really are. Almost every kid who puts the cape on sticks their arms out and starts running!"

Last summer, Rosenberger made her 2-year-old nephew a cape for his birthday. Not long after, she read about a young girl named Brenna battling a rare congenital skin disease.

"It became clear that Brenna needed a cape!" she said. "I quickly realized there were other kids out there who actually were tiny superheroes."

Brenna loved her "Super Brenna" cape.

Rosenberger posted a photo of Super Brenna on her blog — and nominations started pouring in for other tiny superheroes.

TinySuperheroes was born.

"My family has been blessed with the task of building TinySuperheroes from the ground up!" Rosenberger wrote on her website. "TinySuperheroes seeks to empower Extraordinary kids — one cape at a time. We send capes to Extraordinary TinySuperheroes who exemplify strength and determination as they overcome illness or disability. Once these Extraordinary TinySuperheroes are comfortable in their new capes, we join forces with them by sharing their stories, in hopes of giving them a voice, their illness or disability a face, and the world the opportunity to stretch."

TinySuperheroes is now in the process of becoming a nonprofit organization.

In the first six months, Rosenberger sent 700 personalized capes — each accompanied by a handwritten note — to sick children across 45 states and in 11 countries.

The TinySuperheroes story was picked up by news outlets across the country and was featured on TODAY, the Huffington Post and People.

Rosenberg now gets as many as 20 requests a day and has quit her job to focus on TinySuperheroes full-time. She's recruited some friends to help her keep up with the demand.

She and her staff have now made 1,700 capes to boost young superheroes' spirits.

"We are building a TinySuperhero squad. Together these kids can make a difference. We cross-reference their stories," she told ABC News. "Then, by sharing them we can help raise awareness. Raising awareness brings funding, funding leads to more research, and research brings cures."

Rosenberg and TinySuperheroes team are hoping to raise $25,000 on gofundme to support the cost of all the cape-making materials so their mission can expand to reach more children. They have also posted sponsorship opportunities to help kids on the waiting list get their custom capes soon.