Phoenixville Family Honors Girl Lost To Cancer With Carnival

A Phoenixville family that lost their 5-year-old daughter to cancer is giving back to others in the community suffering from a similar tragedy.

Gabby Vogel was diagnosed with Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Giloma in 2011 and lived only 3 months and 12 days afterwards.

It’s a rare illness which causes brain tumors to form at the brain stem.

“The weird thing about losing a child to a battle with cancer is that even if there were some smiles and glimmers of good during the days they fought, you can only remember the bad,” Gabby’s father, John Vogel, told the Pottstown Mercury. “Four years later my memories are filled with only the bad days and very rarely do I remember the good.”

In memory of Gabby, the Vogels have created the Get Well Gabby Foundation to raise money for childhoood brain cancer research.

They also host the Carnival for the Cure in Reeves Park to raise money.

The carnival runs from Thursday through Sunday. It’s open from 6 to 10 p.m. on Friday, and from 1 to 10 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

There is a 5k race along with the carnival that starts at 10 a.m. on Sunday, September 27.