Royal Oak's Tessa Prothero Dies Of Cancer

ROYAL OAK, MI — Royal Oak has lost one of its brightest lights. Tessa Prothero, a 9-year-old who battled cancer with a zest and spirit like no other, died Saturday evening.

Tessa fought neuroblastoma, a form of brain cancer, for nearly four years. The community rallied around her and helped raise funds for her fight. On her birthday, Feb. 25, a flash mob of 300 dancers descended on her Royal Oak home to augment her family’s dance party.

“Our sweet girl passed tonight at 8:25 while peacefully sleeping,” Karin Prothero wrote of her daughter’s passing in a Facebook post. “Bobby and I were cuddling her and talking about how strong she's been through this when it happened. I am still in awe of her spirit since her diagnosis. And what a fighter she was.”

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Tessa, a third grader, was well-known at her school, Upton Elementary in Royal Oak. Principal John Grzywak told the Royal Oak Tribune Tessa Prothero will be sorely missed.

“She was always happy and kind-hearted and people just gravitated to her,” he told the newspaper. “Everybody knew her. I think she really helped us understand what it is to live, even though her life was short she taught us to persevere and embrace every moment.”

Royal Oak based Gilda’s Club came up with the flash mob idea. The group ended up performing two dances after Tessa asked for an encore. Too weak to walk outside to watch the dancers, the 9-year-old’s cousin, William Prothero, held her in his arms.

The elaborate dance session was far from the only support Tessa has received. In 2015, her family established a crowdfunding campaign to help defray some of the cost in paying medical bills. About $45,000 has been raised, according to Crowdwise. A GoFuneMe page was also raised about $14,000.

“Tessa was like no other person I've ever met,” Karin Prothero wrote in the Facebook post. “Of course I'm biased but still - EVERYONE loved her. She had sass and charisma and kindness and stubbornness and a LOVE for life like I've never seen, from a 9 year old- none-the-less. It's like she knew something we didn't.”

Funeral services for Tessa Prothero will be held Saturday at 11 a.m. at the A. J. Desmond & Sons Funeral Home (Price Chapel). It is located at 3725 Rochester Road in Troy.

Photo courtesy of GoFundMe