'Sweet Sally Sunshine' remembered at childhood cancer awareness event

Sweet Sally Sunshine was just that-- a bright light in the lives of all who knew and loved her.

So it was fitting that her community came together to remember her in the glow of the iconic Coney Island parachute jump all lit up in gold in honor of childhood cancer.

It's an annual event Sally herself loved attending.

"We always said that Sally was the great uniter, it didn’t matter who you were or what you believed, everybody loved to support her and she loved everyone in return," said Matt Kabel, Sally's father.

Sally was diagnosed with Leukemia when she was just 10 months old. She fought hard, undergoing two years of intensive chemotherapy to beat cancer. But her treatment caused epilepsy and other conditions.

Earlier this month, she developed an infection, that-despite the most valiant of efforts-she could not beat.

And, on Sept. 19, just a week after her sixth birthday, she passed away.

Her parents -- Matt and Nicole Kabel -- chronicled Sally's brave fight on their blog, Sweet Sally Sunshine which developed a following from near and far and helping other families struggling with cancer.