A Nanaimo six-year-old nearing the end of cancer treatment is giving back in a big way to help the BC Children’s Hospital. Chloe Brown and her mother are so grateful to the hospital for the care she’s received that they’ve just raised over $12,000 in a week’s time with their community’s help. Skye Ryan has more.
Six-year-old Chloe Brown is feeling better than she has in months. The Nanaimo girl is finally in the homestretch of chemotherapy treatments at BC Children’s Hospital since being diagnosed with cancer in March.
“I still get very emotional talking about it,” said Chloe’s mother Cora Brown. “You don’t ever think that that will happen to your child.”
They are so grateful to BC Children’s for the care she’s received that they are giving back to help the children who will fill her hospital bed once she’s done with it.
“It’s going to help all the people with cancer in [the] Children’s Hospital,” says Chloe.
They planned a party in Chloe’s honour in their backyard last weekend, to raise some money and invited family and friends. That is until the staff at Nanaimo’s Browns Social House found out about the big night, and decided to cater it all for free and make it a party the little girl would remember.
“To help a family like that, a local family is such a win for everybody,” said Adam Dukoff, owner of Browns Social House. “At the end of the day it’s not about business it’s just the right thing to do,” said Dukoff.
“You know Chloe’s such an amazing little girl,” said Adam Hearn, a chef at Browns Social House. “It always touches home. We all have kids that suffered through things like that, so it was just a great opportunity, it was overwhelming. It was everything you could hope for a fundraiser.”
In the end, the night raised a whopping $12,000 for the oncology unit at BC Children’s.
“We raised a lot of money,” said Cora. “It was shocking. It exceeded our goals.”
Chloe’s family and community are making sure this chapter of her life isn’t remembered only as her time with cancer, but finding her strength again in giving back to help others.
Skye Ryan
