Adeline Neinast, a 9-year-old cancer survivor, transforms her journey of resilience into a celebration of hope at the Children’s Cancer Fund Gala runway in Dallas.
LONGVIEW, Texas — For one night each year in Dallas, every step on the runway tells a story of strength. For 9-year-old Adeline Neinast, those steps now represent resilience, courage and survival.
Adeline will walk in the Children’s Cancer Fund Gala, a fashion show that raises money and awareness for childhood cancer research and care. Each child featured on the runway is currently battling cancer or in treatment, paired with medical teams and supporters who have helped guide their care.
“They have 18 models, and each one is a patient at either the Dallas Children’s Hospital or Plano that are currently fighting cancer,” one organizer said. “So it’s a pretty neat event. It gets to honor the kids.”
Two years ago, Adeline’s life looked very different. There was no runway, only a hospital room and a diagnosis that came suddenly.
Her mother recalled early warning signs.
“She started getting bruises in weird spots… her gums started bleeding… and the night before she was diagnosed, she had a little blood spot in her mouth,” her mother said. “And I was like, something is wrong.”
Within hours, the 10-year-old was diagnosed with high-risk B-cell leukemia. Her mother said treatment began quickly and aggressively.
But complications followed just as fast, including sepsis, meningitis and a stroke.
“At one point, the doctors told us, ‘Prepare yourselves. We don’t know how this is gonna go,’” her mother said.
Adeline spent 391 days in and out of treatment, fighting infections and slowly rebuilding her strength.
Even during the hardest moments, her family said pieces of her childhood still shone through. She is now in remission and gradually returning to the things she loves like art, music and being a kid again.
“She loves Legos, she loves to sing, she’s always positive. She doesn’t complain,” her mother said.
At Friday’s gala in downtown Dallas, Adeline will step onto the runway wearing a light blue dress, silver shoes and a tiara, walking alongside the medical team that helped carry her through treatment.
“We’re excited. Just getting to see her smile and go down the runway in her pretty dress and have fun for the night… that’s what I’m looking forward to,” her mother said.