February 09 midwest horse digest Page 13
Chloe has become ing relating to the prevention, treatment and
an inspiration to us cure of childhood cancer. The organization
all.
also educates the public about childhood
Ride on, Chloe,
cancer and supports quality-of-life programs
ride on.
for pediatric cancer patients and their families.
Information on the
7801 East Bush Lake Road, Suite 130,
Children’s Cancer
Research Fund
Minneapolis, MN 55439
Children’s
PHONE 952-893-9355
Cancer Research
TOLL FREE 888-422-7348
Fund is dedicated
FAX 952-893-9366
to finding a cure for
To find out more or to make a
childhood cancer
contribution visit the
by providing funds
Research Fund website at
to the University
www. childrenscancer.org
of Minnesota for This article was reprinted with permission from
research and train- Children’s Cancer Research Fund
Cancer isn’t a death sentence.
It’s a life sentence.
Throughout their time in the
hospital, the Fruth family’s approach to cancer
was: “We’re going to live life to the fullest,
because you never know where you’ll be
tomorrow. So they made sure that the days
Chloe spent recovering from her surgery were
as much fun as possible. Children’s Cancer
Research Fund helped by providing a Care
Partners Care Bag designed to make their
hospital stay and treatment more bearable. It
was one of the things that helped Chloe and
her family keep their spirits up.
The package included craft supplies
that Chloe used to paint a huge yellow smiley
face on her window that she could look at
whenever she felt down. She even decorated
her room with disco and pink flamingo lights
and put up an Elvis dress-up doll that the
doctors and nurses would re-dress each time
they visited. Throughout her ordeal, she did
everything she could to stay positive and
make sure cancer didn’t get the best of her.
Throughout it all, a love of horses kept
her going.
Every year there are far too many
children and their families who, like Chloe and
her family, are forced to face cancer.
Every story is heart wrenching and
each one is the story of a child fighting for a
chance to be a child again. In Chloe’s case,
she was hospitalized roughly 35 times for a
total of approximately 125 days during three
and a half years of treatment. But she was
motivated to rise above the pain and mental
anguish of cancer treatment because she
always had hope for tomorrow, for another
barrel race and for a day when she would be
cancer free. This drive, along with the support
of Children’s Cancer Research Fund and the
incredible researchers and doctors at the
University of Minnesota Cancer Center have
helped Chloe become the healthy, happy 11-
year-old she is today. For most, that would be
enough, but Chloe kept going and went on to
defeat competitors nearly twice her age to
become the 2006 American Quarter Horse
Youth Association world champion in barrel
racing.
Thanks to the volunteers and
donors of Children’s Cancer Research Fund,
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