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QC11132014

8 The QUEE NS Courier • november 13, 2014 for breaking news visit www.queenscourier.com Brave Flushing girl, 7, fights brain cancer Photo courtesy of Danielle Chase BY ERIC JANKIEWICZ ejankiewicz@queenscourier.com @EricJankiewicz Danielle Chase was taking photos at a baby shower in early August when she noticed that when she asked her 7-yearold daughter Izabella to smile, only one half of her mouth was moving. “Izzy, why aren’t you smiling?” Chase recalls asking her daughter over and over again before the little girl told her, “I am, Mom.” That, combined with a bunch of recent stumbles and unusual clumsiness, prompted the Flushing mom to take the second grader to the hospital . “Never in a million years did I think they were going to tell me she had brain cancer,” Chase said about the heartbreaking moment when doctors at the Cohen Children’s Medical Center discovered a Grade 1 cancerous tumor. “Everything moved really fast after that.” On Aug. 3, just two days after taking Izabella to the hospital, the doctors attempted to remove the tumor. Sadly, they couldn’t get all of it. A piece was left too deep in the brain for surgeons to reach without risking brain damage, her mom said. Instead, Izabella needs a scan every two months to monitor the tumor, which they fear will continue to grow and require treatment. She also has a shunt in her brain that releases spinal fluid into her stomach, and she has to deal with the loss of sight from the surgery. “I felt like I was ice skating on one foot,” Izabella said, describing the clumsy sensation she felt before the surgery. “But now I feel like I’m ice skating on two feet and I’m slipping everywhere.” Chase, a single mother who had to quit her job to take care of Izabella, is overwhelmed with medical bills and the family has an online fund for donations. Chase will hold a charity event at Tequila Sunrise on Nov. 16 to raise money for Izabella’s medical bills. “If I ask people for anything, I ask them for prayers first before money,” Chase said. Izabella had to be taken out of her school, Sacred Heart Elementary School in Bayside, because of her severely reduced vision. She will be starting home schooling soon and Sacred Heart’s administrators have been very supportive, according to Chase. Izabella says she wants to be a surgeon when she grows up and help little kids like herself. Every once in a while she thinks back to early August. “And she tells me, ‘Mommy, remember that brain ball they took out of me. I’m going to take it and send it straight to hell,’” Chase said. Ukulele shop opens its doors in Astoria THE COURIER/Photo by Angy Altamirano Sakai, who has been a professional ukulele player for the past seven years, is working at the Uke Hut and will soon be giving lessons as well. BY ANGY ALTAMIRANO aaltamirano@queenscourier.com/@aaltamirano One new shop is strumming its way into Astoria, bringing the sounds of the tropics to the big city. Uke Hut, located at 36-01 36th Ave., held its grand opening on Halloween and has brought what manager Jeff Novak calls the only shop of its kind to the northeast United States, selling ukuleles, offering lessons and bringing together the ukulele community. “We’re dedicating ourselves exclusively to ukuleles, and the aim is to have quality instruments at all price points,” said Novak, who has been playing the ukulele for four to five years. “We’re aiming to be a full-service shop.” The corner shop is owned by musician Ken Bari Murray, who hopes to bring a new center for music to the community. Uke Hut offers all types of ukuleles and strings for sale, and although the lessons and performances have not yet started, these aspects will be emphasized as the shop seeks to serve the western Queens neighborhood. Professional ukulele musician Sakai, who has been playing the instrument for the past seven years, will be one of the teachers at the shop. “Astoria is an up-and-coming neighborhood and it’s a vibrant neighborhood, and I think it would be a good tip for us and we’d be a good tip for the general area,” Novak said. “We’re easy and accessible. We’re there for their needs and we’re working for all level of needs.” The shop is still being set up, but customers are welcome to stop by Tuesday through Saturday from noon to 7 p.m. The store’s official website ukehut.com is still under construction as well. “It’s an easy instrument to play compared to others. It’s very portable. It’s been said to be a very happy instrument. You never see a sad ukulele,” Novak said. A ukulele meetup will be held at the shop on Friday at 7: 30 p.m.


QC11132014
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