Dozens of kids piled into a high school gymnasium Sunday to enjoy bouncy castles, balloons and cake; a seemingly normal affair for a group of kids. Unlike most kids, however, this group has survived cancer.
Children’s Hospital Colorado hosted its sixth annual “Celebration of Life,” an event at Cherry Creek High School to commemorate their newfound futures.
Jamie Crook, 10, is one of those kids, and when she grows up, she wants to become a professional public speaker. She’s also marking four years of remission after having been diagnosed with an extremely rare form of liver cancer when she was 6.
“You’re kind of in this bubble of thinking things are going OK, and then it pops and your whole world changes,” said Sarah Crook, Jamie’s mother.
“At Children’s they tell you to expect the worst, but to always hope for the best. People always ask, how do you do it? You just do,” she said. “This changed the course of her life forever, but Children’s saved her life. And things like today are ways to give back and support other families.”
Dr. Brian Greffe, a pediatric oncologist at Children’s Hospital, said 83 percent of kids with cancer in the United States survive.
“This is a party to celebrate their survivorship,” Greffe said. “A party totally out of the context of cancer, out of the hospital. It’s important and it’s fun to see them interact in this different environment.”
The event also allowed fellow survivor Lacey Henderson a chance to share her journey both pre- and post-cancer.
Henderson was a patient at Children’s Colorado in 1999, after she was diagnosed with synovial sarcoma in her leg. Henderson had intensive chemotherapy, and her leg was amputated above her right knee.
But rather than submit to her struggle, Henderson decided to use it.
A former college athlete, Henderson took to track and field after a bet with her dad and hasn’t looked back since.
She’s training for the 2016 Summer Paralympic Games in Rio de Janiero.
“Cancer teaches you a lot of lessons, but mostly that every day is a gift,” Henderson said. “You learn that the fighting power you have in you is there before, during and after cancer. It teaches you that inspiration comes from within, which is how you fight for your life, just like I fight to get these medals.”
Natalie Munio: 303-954-1666, nmunio@denverpost.com or @nataliemunio
