New Playset Helps Child With Leukemia 'Just Be A Kid Again'

RESTON, VA — A group of volunteers from Dominion Energy assembled a playset Friday for Sonja Snell, a 3-year-old Reston girl who was diagnosed 18 months ago with leukemia.

"Having this program and this organization sponsor Sonja and bring out volunteers from Dominion Power and set something up like that beautiful playground it means the world for us," said Josh Snell, in a Dominion Energy video. "Our family, just being able to see Sonja smile again and have fun, it's just been a very, very bright light at the end of a very dark tunnel."

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Sonja, who lives with her parents Josh and Rachel Snell, and her 8-year-old sister Emy, has undergone 15 months of chemotherapy.

"Seeing how weak she was, she didn't want to walk or run and we really struggled to encourage her to use her body like a normal kid, and I feel that a playset encourages her to do just that," Rachel Snell said, in the video. "She gets to just be a kid again and that is the biggest gift a parent could ask for."

The Roc Solid Foundation, a nonprofit that builds playsets for families dealing with pediatric cancer, sponsored Friday's installation. Three Roc Solid Build Leaders joined the Dominion Energy volunteers in building the playset for Sonja.

"We're always looking for good opportunities to give back to the community, and this was just a no-brainer," said Peggy Fox, a Dominion Energy spokeswoman. "Our people know how to do stuff. They build electrical systems, so they know how to put things together and they did that thing in record time. Usually, it takes like three hours, but they did it in two."