CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Chloe Rochester, an “amazing” 5-year-old Virginia girl who battled cancer for more than a year, died early Friday, according to her family.

“Chloe passed peacefully in her sleep into the precious arms of Jesus,” her family posted on social media. “Thank you for your prayers. We love you all…”

Chloe was singing in her family’s traveling bluegrass gospel band in the winter of 2022 when she developed terrible stomach pains.

In February 2023, the girl was diagnosed with stage four anaplastic Wilms tumor. Since then, Chloe has undergone surgeries as well as numerous chemotherapy and radiation treatments.

Provided to WTVR

Chloe’s caregivers said they were continually charmed by her giggles, quick quips and quick wit, and could hardly believe her level of maturity. Despite all this, her doctors and nurses at the University of Virginia Children’s Hospital in Charlottesville said she was always optimistic and courageous.

The then four-year-old celebrated an important milestone in the hospital in March when she completed her final chemotherapy treatment.

However, in June her father told her the devastating news that Chloe’s cancer had “returned with a vengeance.”

“She has two baseball-sized tumors and they’re growing very, very fast,” her father said. “It looks like over the next few months we’ll be trying to shrink those tumors enough to be surgically removed. One is in her pelvic area and one is near her other kidney.”

Then more bad news came in July.

“We are in the hospital as Chloe begins her second cycle. Unfortunately, the CT scan was not good,” her parents wrote on July 21. “After our 9 days at home, the tumors have grown back to the size they were at the beginning and there are signs of more tumors forming in her abdomen.”

Last Sunday, her family asked for prayers after posting that Chloe was “not doing well.” And then on Wednesday, her family announced that Chloe was in palliative care.

Surprising ‘amazing’ Virginia girl who doesn’t believe Santa is real

CBS 6 anchor Tracy Sears and photographer Ben Brady heard about Chloe through a friend’s Facebook post and surprised her with special gifts, including a dollhouse for the station’s annual giving month in December.

The couple dressed up in “Buddy the Elf” costumes after learning that Chloe loved elves and wanted a pink elf costume for Christmas.

“I love dollhouses,” Chloe exclaimed when she saw her gift. “I’m going to have to put a lot of stickers on it, but I’ll leave that up to you,” Chloe joked with her father.

Chloe said she wanted to become a nurse when she grew up so she could work in a hospital and care for other children.

Before leaving the hospital, Chloe tried on a red knit hat she found in a box at the nurses’ station. “To keep me warm in the winter,” she explained to Tracy. Tracy whispered in her ear and asked if she thought Santa would like her red hat.

“Funny, very funny,” Chloe replied. “I still don’t believe Santa Claus is real.”

Chloe leaves behind her parents Isaac and Angela Rochester.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, August 31st at 1 p.m. at Peoples Baptist Church in Penn Laird. A private burial will follow at Eastlawn Memorial Gardens, according to her obituary.

Participants are asked to wear something bright and cheerful, as “Chloe didn’t like dark colors or sad people.”

The family said donations in Chloe’s memory can be made to Peoples Baptist Church at Penn Laird, Pediatric Hematology/Oncology at the University of Virginia or the Yellow Door Foundation in Charlottesville.