SUMMERSIDE, P.E.I. — Stars began to pop like white snowflakes in the sky as people slowly poured out of Uncle Mike’s Bar and Grill to the sound of a Christmas jingle.
Among the "Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree" crowd on Saturday night were Sheila and Brian Richard.
“Children should never be sick,” said Sheila, who came to show her support for the recently turned four-year-old Summerside girl that was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in May 2019.
“It’s a rough journey, no matter the age. I lost my brother because of cancer, he recently passed away. Georgia and her family need support, and to see people attending this event for them must be a comfort – to know they are not alone on this difficult journey,” Sheila said.
Georgia “Peach” Arsenault was unable to attend the Summerside street party that included a special performance by award-winning country singer and songwriter Trinity Bradshaw. Her chemotherapy treatments are tiresome and temporarily weaken the immune system to fight the white cancer cells.
“It’s hard. When a loved one is diagnosed with cancer and you don’t know where to turn. You can’t fix them but being there and showing support is what you can do. Never give up hope,” Sheila added, while a large Christmas tree lit up the darkness on the cordoned section of Water Street.
Tank (an alias used due to his work with children in the court system) and his own kids joined in the festivities which included a variety of live bands, a silent auction, 50/50 draw, and hot drinks.
“The heartstrings got pulled when I read Georgia’s (Journal Pioneer) article shared on Facebook because anyone that young should not be going through cancer, so I’m participating to help a child and rally with the community,” said Tank, who lost his grandfather to cancer.
Bradshaw hosted the fundraising event in benefit of the family with half the proceeds – requested by the Arsenault family – donated to the IWK Health Centre in Halifax.
“I can’t believe there are this many people already. The inside of Uncle Mike’s is packed and the entertainment has just started. It’s been a long month of planning, but the local businesses made it so easy for me to get this off the ground,” said Bradshaw.
“At the end of the night, I will sing a song that I especially wrote for little Georgia. The song’s chorus goes ‘Lord, I want to be just like Georgia Peach.’ My band will hopefully get the whole crowd singing to this chorus as they raise lighters or phones to the sky.”
Bradshaw added, “I just want to thank all the community for coming out to show your support for this awesome cause and little girl. This will be an annual event, even bigger next year. Georgia is the role model that’s inspiring people with her resilience, and we will continue to help someone each year.”
"Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree" kicked off at 6 p.m.
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