Three young women turned their shell painting into a big fundraiser for breast cancer research.

Lizzie Fitzpatrick, 24, was recently diagnosed with breast cancer.

"It was something that totally was not on my radar. Breast cancer is thought of an older woman's disease," Lizzie says.

GoFundMe: Lizzie's Army

Now the Merrick woman is currently undergoing 16 rounds of chemo.

Lizzie says she has a great support system: her 12-year-old sister Annie and her friends Maddy and Isabelle. They formed Lizzie's Army to support Lizzie and breast cancer research.

"We were like, 'How can we kind of make the change or show awareness for breast cancer awareness?' So then we had the idea of selling our shells," says Annie.

The group collects shells at the beach, washes them and paints them with different designs.

"When we went to have our first sale, we were just kind of like our goal is $100. And we were like that's a far shoot, and the first day we wound up making $478," says Annie.

Since then, Lizzie's Army has raised more than $1,600 and counting. But they're not only raising money - they're also raising Lizzie's spirits.

Lizzie was also inspired to create a blog and Facebook page about her journey being so young battling breast cancer. Meanwhile, Lizzie's Army has taught these 12-year-old girls a life lesson.

Lizzie's Army will be selling their shells Saturday from 3-5 p.m. at the corner of Camp and Stevens avenues in Merrick.