When a vibrant, eight-year-old Staten Island gymnast was diagnosed with an aggressive leukemia, her resilience — and a community that refused to let her fight alone — helped carry her family through the most difficult months of their lives

BY AMANDA McCOY • PHOTOS BY AMESSE PHOTOGRAPHY

Last May, on a sunny late-spring day in Midland Beach, hundreds of Staten Islanders gathered for Staten Island University Hospital’s annual Northwell Walk to Raise Health. At the front of the pack was Charlee Citera, an ebullient eight-year-old gymnast who loves swimming, drawing, and anything to do with animals (orcas especially). Like any active kid, Charlee had spent the previous summer full of energy — playdates with friends, splashing in pools, and training for gymnastics five days a week — until a routine pediatric visit led to a shocking discovery: Charlee was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia, a rare and aggressive cancer of the blood and bone marrow.

As the official patient representative for the Northwell Walk, Charlee was joined by her parents (Thomas and Jaime Citera), her older sister (Kayla), her gymnastics team, several SIUH doctors and nurses, hospital staff, and hundreds of members of the Staten Island community. The courageous eight-year-old led participants — many donning orange and white “Charlee’s Angels” T-shirts — along a 5K course to raise funds for the Florina Cancer Center and its pediatric unit, the Brian Halpin Pediatric Center.

“The walk took place towards the end of her treatment, and we were just finding out that she’s going to get to go home,” noted Thomas Citera, a detective with the New York Police Department. “It was a tremendous moment; it was the first time many people in the community had the opportunity to see Charlee outside of the hospital. She was running around, playing, and being herself.”

Charlee was diagnosed in September 2024, and as the young patient and her family navigated the emotional and logistical complexities of the journey ahead, the Citeras were grateful Charlee had access to world-class cancer care so close to home. Over the next eight months, Charlee underwent five rounds of treatment at SIUH’s Brian Halpin Pediatric Center, each with different medications and timelines. Each time, she spent long stretches in the hospital, including a 53-day stay during her first round of chemotherapy.

“Charlee had to be an inpatient, so she was essentially a resident of the pediatric wing,” explained Jaime Citera. “If we had to travel into Manhattan or elsewhere, it would have been a completely different experience. Being at SIUH gave us all flexibility; Charlee could have more frequent visitors, and Thomas and I could be present for her while also maintaining a sense of normalcy for Kayla, who was a rockstar throughout all of this. There was no 2.5-hour commute, parking, tolls, or any of the headaches that come with traveling into the city. Plus, the care team at SIUH is phenomenal. The doctors, nurses, and medical staff went above and beyond for Charlee. They’ve become family to us; one of Charlee’s favorite nurses even sent her the results of her baby’s gender reveal.”

Throughout Charlee’s treatment, neighbors, friends, and co-workers showed up in droves to tackle chores like laundry, cleaning, and looking after Kayla. One friend created a GoFundMe page to assist with various expenses, and the Citeras were floored with the amount of people who donated. Their church held a prayer every single Sunday for Charlee and the family. On Thomas and Jaime’s 10th wedding anniversary, Charlee’s nursing team at SIUH insisted on watching Charlee so the couple could go on a date.

“It was overwhelming from the very beginning,” said Thomas Citera. “You’re suddenly learning about cancer, about chemotherapy, about treatments, and your whole life gets turned upside down. When you look back on it, you see the way you were taken care of — by the doctors, nurses, neighbors, friends, and even people we didn’t know who had learned of Charlee’s story. Charlee’s hematologist and oncologist, Dr. Eleny Romanos-Sirakis and Dr. Joanna Pierro, were incredible. They told us that if we ever needed anything or had any questions at all, to call them directly.”

During each of her five treatments, Charlee never spent less than a month at a time in the hospital. As her parents recalled, she never lost her clever wit or joyful spirit. She challenged her nurses to board games, and took part in the latest TikTok dances. After her second round of treatment, the family received uplifting news: Charlee was responding positively to treatment, and today a full year has passed since her cancer went into remission. The almost-nine-year-old still dreams of becoming a veterinarian one day, and she hopped right back into gymnastics the moment she could — even nabbing first place at her last competition. This May, she’ll join hundreds of fellow Staten Islanders in the Northwell Walk once again, sharing her inspiring story of resilience alongside her tribe of “Charlee’s Angels.”

“This whole experience has been such a rollercoaster for all of us,” said Thomas Citera. “From the dramatic lows — at one point, we thought Charlee might have to get a bone marrow transplant, and our friends went above and beyond to organize events to try to find a match — to finding out that she was responding well to treatment and was ultimately in remission, it was impossible to gauge which way each day would go. If it were me, I don’t think I would have been able to go through all of it, but Charlee did better than most adults. I may be a cop, but she’s my superhero. She was the pillar of strength that our family needed.”