GLOUCESTER COUNTY, Va. — Cheyenne Snell, a young girl who was surprised with a puppy last December as part of the CBS 6 Month of Giving, passed away on Feb. 26 after a brave two-year fight with cancer.
The Chihuahua puppy Cheyenne named Gizmo was a gift that the 14-year-old's parents say brought her comfort in her final days.
“Their bond was strong. They slept together, and she would wake up in the morning and make sure that he was OK," Jason Snell, Cheyenne’s father, said. "It was a big morale booster having him around for her. He gave her something to look forward to in the mornings.”
WATCH: Virginia girl surprised with puppy in December 2024
It was that bond, along with the love of family and friends, that sustained Cheyenne in the last weeks of her battle with brain cancer. The disease had briefly gone into remission in August but returned this past fall, just after Cheyenne’s 14th birthday.
“She was the strongest person I ever knew,” her mother, Erika Snell, said. “She never cried the whole process. She never cried or was sad or upset. She was always high spirits, smile and energy. And even though she never had the energy when she got weak, she fought through just to go shopping or do something. She would fight just to do what she wanted to do.”
Whether she was buying gifts for her family or making Valentine’s cards for her friends, Cheyenne, the girl who loved music and dancing, never let her illness dampen her spirits or her beautiful, bright smile.
“She just smiled and kept our spirits up. ore than anything. That’s how brave she was,” Jason Snell added.
For the past two years, Cheyenne modeled in a fashion show called Laughter in the Rain. It was her way of showing others facing cancer that you can still shine bright in the darkness of this disease and inspire others with strength and courage.
“We want everybody to remember how she looked at the world: that you can do anything if you set your mind to it; and that music in her heart and her spirit that she loved to share with everyone,” Jason Snell said.
Even with Cheyenne’s final breath, her parents say that bright smile never went away.
“It just seemed when you looked at her, her smile just got bigger and bigger, and that just let us know that she was at peace and she's happy,” Erika Snell said.
It’s a memory her family says they’ll hold close to their hearts.
The Gloucester teen is survived by her parents and four brothers, according to her obituary.
Cheyenne's Celebration of Life will take place on Saturday, March 8, at 2 p.m at Bridgepoint Church at 10487 Harcum Road in Gloucester. A visitation will be held from noon until 2 p.m. at the church.
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