iStock/Thinkstock(AUBURN, Maine) — A small community in Auburn, Maine, recently recreated Halloween for a 7-year-old girl who missed the original holiday because she was at a hospital.
On Oct. 29, 7-year-old Kinzie Frey was admitted to the intensive care unit of a hospital in Boston, according to her mother, Holly Bosse.
Kinzie had severe pneumonia and para-influenza — illnesses that were likely complications from an antibody treatment Kinzie went through earlier in the month, Bosse said. Kinzie had been getting the antibody treatments to ensure a cancer she had would not return.
Kinzie had been diagnosed with high-risk neuroblastoma — a cancer that starts in early nerve cells — in July 2015, according to Bosse. Kinzie was determined to have “no evidence of disease” in November of last year.
Though Kinzie is no stranger to hospitals — she has undergone seven rounds of chemotherapy, three major surgeries, two bone marrow transplants and 12 rounds of radiation — her most recent hospital visit was one of the most difficult, her mother said.
“She was so sick, and we were just scared for her life that week,” Bosse told ABC News. “It was a lot scarier that she knows.”
But the young fighter “pulled through,” and she was discharged last week, Bosse said.
This past Sunday, Bosse’s community recreated Halloween for Kinzie to welcome her back home. The “Halloween rewind” was led by Bosse’s sister, Heather Pulkkinen.
“It was magical,” Bosse said. “Kinzie said it was the best Halloween she had ever had.”
More than 20 houses on Bosse’s street opened their doors to Kinzie to allow her to trick-or-treat. Many dressed up, and a few children accompanied Kinzie as well.
“A lot of people had her favorite candy and drink — Starbursts and orange Gatorade,” Bosse said with a laugh.
Kinzie was dressed as Kylo Ren from “Star Wars” — a costume fitting for a “fearless” girl, according to Bosse.
“She’s a complete fireball,” she said. “Her first words were, ‘Do it by my own’ and she has always had the attitude that she can do anything.”
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