AUBURN, Maine (NEWS CENTER) — Seven-year-old Kinzie Bosse has not had an easy year and a half.
She was diagnosed with cancer and has been constantly in and out of the hospital with endless treatments and complications, which caused her to miss out on a childhood must-do: trick-or-treating.
This Halloween, Kinzie's family and friends decided to give her a second chance.
“It was July 28, 2015,” Kinzie’s mother Holly Bosse said. “About as earth-shattering of a change as you can imagine.”
That’s the day Holly's 6-year-old daughter was diagnosed with high-risk neuroblastoma. She thought Kinzie would be out of treatment in time to trick-or-treat, but as Kinzie said, “I was feeling a little bit sick, and I was at the hospital … I felt sad, because everybody else trick-or-treated.”
So Kinzie's friends, family and neighbors decided to give her a second chance at Halloween.
It wasn't even the candy that brought a smile to Kinzie's face, but “just smelling the good air outside."
Her parents wheeled her and a parade of friends door-to-door.
Holly and Kinzie have spent the majority of the last 16 months in the hospital. It hasn't been easy.
“The hardest time is when I feel alone,” Holly said. “When I'm in the hospital, I just feel left out of normal life. I think everything is moving forward but us in that moment.”
But they say the constant support of the "Kinzie Strong" community keeps them going.
“Nothing surprises me anymore because it feels like every time I turn around there's something new to say thank you for,” Holly said.
A holiday do-over for an incredibly strong little girl.