BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. 23ABC's Kallyn Hobmann spoke with Chloe Dollar who grew up in Bakersfield and said she went through over 700 hours of chemotherapy. She said she wants her story to inspire others.
At age 13, Chloe was diagnosed with diffuse large b cell lymphoma. She said she never knew children could even be affected by cancer.
“When I was younger, I always heard of the word cancer. Never really knew what it meant, let alone thinking, 'Oh, kids can get cancer too.' Until I was in the hospital one day and I heard the words, ‘you have cancer,'" said Chloe.
Chloe is now cancer free, but said she’ll feel the impact of the disease for the rest of her life and she wants to make sure others know just how serious it is for children, not just adults
“I kind of told myself, like, I’ve got to press on. I’ve got to fight. That way I can be there for other kids and spread awareness," she said.
Chloe went to Bakersfield High School and frequently brought nonprofits to her campus. She also passed out gold ribbons at hospitals. One her favorite memories is giving one to a father in the oncology unit.
“He just got the biggest smile and that just blessed my heart, because, you know, I was able to make someone smile. And that made me feel good. That made me smile because I was able to brighten their day and that’s, that’s what I’m living for," she said.
Chloe said one of the best ways people can help is to donate to local nonprofits and continue the conversations surrounding childhood cancer.
“Think about those families and go out and spread awareness for them. You don’t even have to know those people, but just be like, hey did you know that they only get, you know, not even 4% funding for childhood cancer," Chloe said.
And Chloe said she doesn’t want anyone to feel sorry for her. She says she just wants others to spread awareness too.
“It’s turned into something great that I can use that god’s given me that I can use as a story to make people aware. To be able to tell people to just keep fighting," said Chloe.
Some charities that benefit children and families affected by childhood cancer include Tiger Fight and Bags of Love.
