A live music event at a north Edmonton church has helped make three dreams come true for a young girl who has a terminal illness.
Eight-year-old Janaya Chekowski-McKenzie received a rock star’s welcome as she walked down the red carpet at North Pointe Community Church on Tuesday night.
In February, the Beaumont, Alta. resident was diagnosed with a rare, inoperable brain tumour known as diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG).
Janaya created a bucket list following the news, and has been working away at it between treatments.
“I just want to see this big happy smile on her face,” said Vashti Hoiting, a friend of Janaya’s mother, who helped organize the event. “I want her to just shine, just be that girl that she is, and just live her dreams.”
The event aimed to check three items off Janaya’s list: singing on a stage, being in a band and becoming world-famous, according to Trevor Caverly, who is the connections pastor at the church.
“We thought, ‘Man, we could probably do this. We could probably make a little girl’s dreams come true,'” Caverly said. “That’s what tonight’s about — ticking off some bucket lists for her. Letting her maybe forget her worries for a night.
Janaya’s family has set up a GoFundMe page to help with her living costs and possible future treatments. It had raised $32,284 by Tuesday night.