The dog community in Richmond is rallying around one of their own after she was struck down with lung cancer.
A GoFundMe page, started at the end of last year, and a pub night fundraiser held on Monday night, has pooled more than $8,000 for professional dog-walker Charlotte Stromberg, who has been unable to work since October when she began chemotherapy for lung cancer.
Stromberg’s friend Marlene Clow, who owns and runs Doggie Six grooming in south Richmond, organized the online funding page and the pub night at the Pioneer’s Pub on No. 3 and Williams roads.
Being self-employed, she knows how tough it can be financially for her friend and colleague and wanted to do something to help out Stromberg, who runs Charlotte’s Canine Capers.
“I’d been to a few fundraisers at the Pioneer before and I thought, ‘I can do this for Charlotte,’” said Clow.
“Her clients have been wonderful, we sold 86 tickets for the pub night.”
After people learned that Stromberg was diagnosed with lung cancer, most of them, said Clow, assumed the dog-walker was a heavy smoker.
“She’s never smoked, never lived with anyone that smoked and doesn’t even drink,” added Clow.
Stromberg, 46, told the Richmond News that she’s been overwhelmed by the reaction from the community.
“It has been absolutely amazing; you’re never quite sure who your friends really are until something like this happens,” said Stromberg.
“It makes me feel so special and I was like ‘gosh, people actually like me.’”
Stromberg said she has been feeling better after her treatment but won’t know until March if the chemotherapy has worked.
“I’ve never smoked, not even once, never in my whole life,” she added.
“But I’ve learned that 30 per cent of lung cancer sufferers are non-smokers, and it doesn’t run in my family either.
“I’m a pretty vanilla type of girl.”
Anyone wishing to make a donation to the GoFundMe total can go online to tinyurl.com/GoFundCharlotte.
