Children with cancer 'smile and have fun' at Holiday Party at the Farm

FORT MYERS, Fla. - Amzeal -- Southwest Florida children enjoyed pony rides and a petting zoo while soaking up the Christmas spirit at the annual Reaching Out to Cancer Kids (ROCK) Holiday Party on the Farm.

Held Dec. 7 at Trinity Acres Equestrian Center in North Fort Myers, Holiday Party on the Farm offered children the opportunity to ride a horse and pony, feed turtles and rabbits, create arts and crafts, have their faces painted, bring home balloon art and munch on holiday treats. Attendees also enjoyed a visit from Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus, as well as a Radio City Rockettes-inspired performance from Southwest Florida's Calendar Girls dance team. Participants included children currently undergoing cancer treatments, those whose cancer is in remission and cancer survivors.

Advocate Radiation Oncology sponsored Holiday Party on the Farm in partnership with Golisano Children's Hospital of Southwest Florida.

"Anybody going through cancer treatment has to deal with a lot of challenges and a lot of things that are not so fun," said Dr. Todd Pezzi, a board-certified radiation oncologist at Advocate Radiation Oncology. "This event is a great way to escape the reality of the unfortunate situation that they're going through."

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Eight-year-old Addie Heinz was one of the children who attended Holiday Party on the Farm. At age 2, she was diagnosed with lymphoblastic leukemia. Now in remission, attending the annual event has become a family tradition for Addie, who was joined by her parents and siblings as well as several cousins and an aunt and uncle visiting from Washington state.

"During the treatment, it was a wonderful opportunity to get out of the house and out of the hospital in a safe environment," said her father, Nathan Heinz. "It was very, very therapeutic and she enjoyed it, especially during treatment because she didn't get to go out a lot."

Holiday Party on the Farm has become an annual support group for parents of children with cancer who rely on each other for emotional support and continuously seek opportunities for their children to "be a kid again."

"That was really important to maintain her childhood while she was also very sick and couldn't be around a lot of other children or people," added Joy Heinz, Addie's mother. "It was really encouraging to see her smile and have fun, and kind of forget what she had to endure."