At age 3, Isabelle Morin, from Germantown in Tennessee, USA, was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. One of the most important chemotherapy medicines administered to her during treatment came from a plant derivative of the rainforest, known as vincristine. Vincristine is derived from the periwinkle plant in the rainforest. Survival rates were very low until this important plant was discovered in the rainforest. It is one of the key medicinal plant derivatives used to provide researchers with medical treatments to help children as well as adults become cancer free. 70% of the plants identified as having anti-cancer characteristics by the US National Cancer Institute are found only in the tropical rainforest.

Today, after 2 ½ years of treatment, Isabelle is cancer free and a happy-go-lucky little girl. She loves to sing, dance, cook, and learn about the rainforest. She also has also created her own kids' chef site, http://www.chefisabelle.com/, and hopes to help many causes through this site. Isabelle enjoys supporting various organizations that help save children's lives and her family have also helped set up a non-profit organization, the Green Hope Foundation, which aims to raise awareness about children's environmental health issues. By also supporting The Prince's Rainforest Project, Isabelle hopes to help bring awareness to children and adults around the world by sharing her story and being a living example of why rainforests are so important.

Isabelle says: "I am a cancer survivor and I am so thankful for the rainforest, as well as the doctors and nurses at St Jude's children's research hospital, they all helped save my life. I benefited from the rosy periwinkle plant in the rainforest. Rainforests have amazing plants that can save people's lives when they become sick, so it is important for us to help protect the rainforest. Scientists have only learned how to use 1% of these amazing plants so imagine the endless possibilities with the other 99% of undiscovered plants in the rainforest. If we did not have the rainforest, lives could not be saved."

Download Isabelle's story as a PDF.

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