Melania, 48, visited young patients at the Children's Inn at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, on Thursday for Valentine's Day.
A 13-year-old from Mombasa, Kenya, was responsible for showing her how to turn a wooden clothespin into a colorful clip.
'This is a big project,' Melania said during the tutorial.
Amani has sickle cell disease and is preparing for a bone marrow transplant with marrow donated by his eight-year-old sister Amana.
Amani, showed the first lady how to turn a wooden clothespin into a colorful clip.
Amani presented her with a red heart-shaped box that held a silver necklace with the words 'hope' and 'faith' inscribed on a silver circle.
The little boy showed Melania his own bracelet, which matched her necklace, and she accepted the gift with an outstretched hand.
Dailymail