LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) – The rink will be cold, but hearts will be warmed Friday night, as the community will rally together for a 1-year-old girl. And you can share your “Love For Lenny” by just showing up.
Lenny Chronowski’s parents describe her as a “bright-eyed, giggly little girl who lights up every room with laughter.” But on April 8th, that all changed when Lenny was diagnosed with cancer.
“It’s been a month, but it still feels like one day, it’s never-ending,” said Lenny’s dad, Garrett Chronowski. “You feel like you can’t take a moment to breathe or rest, because you feel like you’ll miss something.”
Garrett and Jessica Chronowski’s lives were flipped upside down when their 1-year-old daughter Lenny was diagnosed with cancer.
“They found a three and a half inch tumor on her kidney,” said Chronowski.
Doctors identified the tumor as a Wilms tumor, the most common type of kidney cancer in children.
“Typically, it’s a very high survival rate,” said Chronowski.
But it wasn’t long before Lenny had complications. On April 17, just nine days after being diagnosed, Lenny coded for almost an hour before coming back.
“We’re just trying every day to get by, to just help her survive and do everything we can to keep fighting,” said Chronowski.
As she continues her fight, she’s undergoing chemo and has had multiple surgeries.
“We will be at the UK HealthCare Children’s Hospital until the tumor is resected,” said Chronowski.
As they wait for that day to come, their friends and family have stepped up in more ways than one.
“Living in a city where I don’t have family, I consider Garrett a brother,” said Lexington Amateur Ice Hockey League player Matt Menegotto. “So when your brother is in need, you just stop everything that you’re doing to try to help him.”
Garrett has been playing in the Lexington Amateur Ice Hockey League for years alongside Matt. Pauly Dumais has been his referee.
“I just saw that we had a community member that needed some help, needs some love, needs people to fight for him,” said Dumais. “So it was really proud moment to kind of think of, brainstorm, what we could do for him, and we decided to throw a hockey game.”
Friday night, on Lenny’s 2nd birthday, the community will band together for a charity hockey game in her honor.
“All we want is people in the door,” said Dumais. “I always say blue, white game. Pick a team, pick a jersey. If you like the color blue more, cheer your tail off for the blue team. If you like the color white more, cheer your tail off at the white team, and just have some fun.”
They’re asking for a minimum donation of $10.
“The Lexington Ice Center donated the ice, the scorekeeper, the announcer, the referees,” said Dumais. “Everybody has donated their time. So, I’m really proud to say that 100% of donations are going straight to the family.”
As they show, hockey is more than just a sport.
“This game gives us a good opportunity to fight for something greater than a teammate, a family member, but hockey brings you together through the ups and the downs, the wins and the losses,” said Dumais. “I think the most important thing about hockey is that it brings us together through friendship and community.”
“I’ve been playing hockey since I was six, seven years old, and like almost 30 years down the road, it’s now helping save my daughter’s life potentially,” said Chronowski. “I don’t think we could have managed all this if we weren’t back here in Lexington with the community that we have.”
The puck drops Friday night at 7:15 at the Lexington Ice Center. If you would like to learn more about the game, click here. If you would like to donate to the Chronowski family, click here.
Coming up in June, there are two more opportunities to support Lenny and her family.
On June 19th, 10% of all food sales at Shamrock Bar & Grill will go to the family.
There will also be an adult hockey draft tournament taking place on June 21st.
There is a $100 entry fee per player. All skill levels are welcome.
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