Photo contributed
Like any other four year old, Chloe Kroeger enjoys the simple things in life. She loves ice cream, spending time with her family and her Barbie dolls. But most of all, she loves to dance.
Even as her tiny body became locked in a vicious battle with rhabdmoyosarcoma, a rare form of cancer that forms in the soft tissues of striated muscle, she continued to dance, fitting in classes between rounds of chemotherapy.
As the trips to Vancouver (where Chloe receives her treatments) became more frequent, getting to dance class became nearly impossible. That’s when Cindy Gosling, whose daughter Avery takes ballet lessons at the same studio as Chloe, decided to take action.
To bring her goal to fruition, Gosling sought the help of Eve Noonan, the owner of Even Dance, and some of the instructors, to help her organize a dance recital fundraiser for the family.
“Every little girl who loves to dance deserves her moment on the big stage,” Gosling told the Chronicle.
“I don’t really know Chloe or her parents but when I heard that her health was taking a turn I thought it was really important that after months and months of treatment, she get to dance on the stage and just be a little girl.”
The event, aptly called “All about a Girl,” was held at the Frank Venables Theatre on May 24 and brought in approximately $3,600 to help offset the family’s mounting medical costs. The funds were presented to the Kroegers immediately after the recital.
“There is no hospice for children so I can’t even begin to imagine what this is costing them. But this wasn’t really about the money, it was about giving Chloe the opportunity to dance on the stage and be a part of something. It was also about giving her family memories.”
Gosling’s mission became more urgent when she learned that Chloe’s condition had changed drastically.
After another “disappointing” MRI on May 12, Jon and Gina Kroeger were forced to make the most “difficult” decision of their lives.
Jon, 28, recalled a moment he could only describe with one word; gut-wrenching.
“We were given a choice, we could keep going with the treatment, which was getting more aggressive and might prolong her life, or take her off treatment and let her be a kid and do what she loves,” Kroeger explained.
“It was the hardest decision I’ve ever had to make. And we didn’t know if it was the right one.”
But Kroeger said the answer came to him when Eve Noonan brought her on stage to join her former classmates as they danced to instructor Ashley Atkinson’s rendition of their favourite song, “Let it Go,” from the Disney film Frozen.
For Noonan, that moment was one of the most emotional performances she had ever seen from her young students.
“We told the students what the recital was being held for, but I don’t think it was until that moment; the moment when Chloe came up and danced that they fully understood the gravity of what they were actually doing and why,” Noonan recalled. “They were all crying backstage.”
“I heard Gina said she was blown away by the support we had for the event. I know I was. But mostly I was blown away by Chloe herself,” Gosling added.
“I had never seen her until Saturday night and I was surprised by her. I think because of her condition I thought she would be more fragile. When she got up on that stage you forgot that she’s sick. She jumped and bounced and danced like all the other kids. She looked strong, you can tell she’s a fighter.”
Erin Christie
Oliver Chronicle
