Christmas Happy Hour Aims To Raise Money For Local Cancer Patient

HERNDON, VA — Friends of Chelsea Proctor, the Herndon resident recently diagnosed with a rare and painful form of cancer, are planning a special Christmas Happy Hour to help raise funds to defray the costs of Proctor's ongoing medical treatment.

The Christmas for Chelsea Cancer Fundraiser will take place Thursday, Dec. 10, from 6-9 p.m., at Jimmy's Old Town Tavern, located at 697 Spring St. in Herndon.

Proctor was recently diagnosed with Ewing's sarcoma, an incredibly rare and aggressive form of cancer.

"It's such a rare cancer that not many people in the world have it," Rochelle Proctor, Chelsea's mother, told Patch. "It's less than 1,000 people have it."

Last weekend, Chelsea Proctor and her family traveled to University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston for a consultation and treatment.

"Chelsea's cancer is incredibly difficult, incredibly painful, incredibly rare and incredibly aggressive," Rochelle Proctor wrote, in an update on the family's GoFundMe page. "It is taking incredible minds, incredible measures and incredible treatments to save her life. ... The doctors at MD Anderson are the leading experts on this type of Sarcoma. MD Anderson has what Chelsea needs to regain her health. Doctors at MD Anderson will work in conjunction with her doctors in Virginia to do everything possible for the total elimination of this cancer."

An alumna of Herndon High School and James Madison University, Chelsea Proctor is a graduate student at Johns Hopkins University. As such, she has aged out of her parents' medical coverage and her student medical insurance does not cover all of the costs of her treatment. She's expected to endure at least 10 months of chemotherapy, followed by a difficult surgery, rehabilitation, and radiation treatment.

In order for Chelsea Proctor to continue receiving the treatment necessary to save her life, she will have to travel back to MD Anderson every few weeks, according to Rochelle Proctor.

The Proctors launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise money to offset the expenses of Chelsea Proctor's treatment. As of 3:40 p.m. on Friday, the campaign has raised more than $31,000 toward its $100,000 goal.

For more on how to help Chelsea Proctor and her family, visit their GoFundMe campaign.

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